Yeast organism producing isobutanol at a high yield

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed a method of producing isobutanol. In an embodiment, the method includes providing a microorganism transformed with an isobutanol producing pathway containing at least one exogenous gene. The microorganism is selected to produce isobutanol from a carbon source at a yield of at least 10 percent theoretical. The method includes cultivating the microorganism in a culture medium containing a feedstock providing the carbon source, until isobutanol is produced. The method includes recovering the isobutanol. In one embodiment, the microorganism is a yeast with a Crabtree-negative phenotype. In another embodiment, the microorganism is a yeast microorganism with a Crabtree-positive phenotype. There is disclosed a microorganism for producing isobutanol. In an embodiment, the microorganism includes an isobutanol producing pathway containing at least one exogenous gene, and is selected to produce a recoverable quantity of isobutanol from a carbon source at a yield of at least 10 percent theoretical.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/343,375, filed Dec. 23, 2008, which claims, as does the present application, the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/016,483, filed Dec. 23, 2007, the contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

DESCRIPTION OF THE TEXT FILE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY

The contents of the text file submitted electronically herewith are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety: A computer readable format copy of the Sequence Listing (filename: GEVO_(—)027_(—)05US_SeqList.txt, date recorded: Aug. 25, 2011, file size 256 kilobytes).

TECHNICAL FIELD

Metabolically engineered microorganisms and methods of producing such organisms are provided. Also provided are methods of producing metabolites that are biofuels by contacting a suitable substrate with metabolically engineered microorganisms and enzymatic preparations there from.

BACKGROUND

Biofuels have a long history ranging back to the beginning of the 20th century. As early as 1900, Rudolf Diesel demonstrated at the World Exhibition in Paris, France, an engine running on peanut oil. Soon thereafter, Henry Ford demonstrated his Model T running on ethanol derived from corn. Petroleum-derived fuels displaced biofuels in the 1930s and 1940s due to increased supply, and efficiency at a lower cost.

Market fluctuations in the 1970s coupled to the decrease in US oil production led to an increase in crude oil prices and a renewed interest in biofuels. Today, many interest groups, including policy makers, industry planners, aware citizens, and the financial community, are interested in substituting petroleum-derived fuels with biomass-derived biofuels. The leading motivations for developing biofuels are of economical, political, and environmental nature.

One is the threat of ‘peak oil’, the point at which the consumption rate of crude oil exceeds the supply rate, thus leading to significantly increased fuel cost results in an increased demand for alternative fuels. In addition, instability in the Middle East and other oil-rich regions has increased the demand for domestically produced biofuels. Also, environmental concerns relating to the possibility of carbon dioxide related climate change is an important social and ethical driving force which is starting to result in government regulations and policies such as caps on carbon dioxide emissions from automobiles, taxes on carbon dioxide emissions, and tax incentives for the use of biofuels.

Ethanol is the most abundant fermentatively produced fuel today but has several drawbacks when compared to gasoline. Butanol, in comparison, has several advantages over ethanol as a fuel: it can be made from the same feedstocks as ethanol but, unlike ethanol, it is compatible with gasoline at any ratio and can also be used as a pure fuel in existing combustion engines without modifications. Unlike ethanol, butanol does not absorb water and can thus be stored and distributed in the existing petrochemical infrastructure. Due to its higher energy content which is close to that of gasoline, the fuel economy (miles per gallon) is better than that of ethanol. Also, butanol-gasoline blends have lower vapor pressure than ethanol-gasoline blends, which is important in reducing evaporative hydrocarbon emissions.

Isobutanol has the same advantages as butanol with the additional advantage of having a higher octane number due to its branched carbon chain. Isobutanol is also useful as a commodity chemical and is also a precursor to MTBE. Isobutanol can be produced in microorganisms expressing a heterologous metabolic pathway, but these microorganisms are not of commercial relevance due to their inherent low performance characteristics, which include low productivity, low titer, low yield, and the requirement for oxygen during the fermentation process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, a method of producing isobutanol is provided. The method includes providing a recombinant microorganism comprising an isobutanol producing metabolic pathway, the microorganism selected to produce the isobutanol from a carbon source at a yield of at least 5 percent theoretical. The method further includes cultivating the microorganism in a culture medium containing a feedstock providing the carbon source, until a recoverable quantity of the isobutanol is produced and recovering the isobutanol. In some aspects the microorganism is selected to produce isobutanol at a yield of greater than about 10 percent, 20 percent or 50 percent theoretical.

In another embodiment, a method provided herein includes a recombinant microorganism engineered to include reduced pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) activity as compared to a parental microorganism. In one aspect, the recombinant microorganism includes a mutation in at least one pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) gene resulting in a reduction of pyruvate decarboxylase activity of a polypeptide encoded by said gene. In another aspect, the recombinant microorganism includes a partial deletion of a pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) gene resulting in a reduction of pyruvate decarboxylase activity of a polypeptide encoded by the gene. In another aspect, the recombinant microorganism comprises a complete deletion of a pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) gene resulting in a reduction of pyruvate decarboxylase activity of a polypeptide encoded by the gene. In yet another aspect, the recombinant microorganism includes a modification of the regulatory region associated with at least one pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) gene resulting in a reduction of pyruvate decarboxylase activity of a polypeptide encoded by said gene. In another aspect, the recombinant microorganism comprises a modification of the transcriptional regulator resulting in a reduction of pyruvate decarboxylase gene transcription. In another aspect, the recombinant microorganism comprises mutations in all pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) genes resulting in a reduction of pyruvate decarboxylase activity of a polypeptide encoded by the gene.

In another embodiment, methods provided herein utilize recombinant microorganisms that have been further engineered to express a heterologous metabolic pathway for conversion of pyruvate to isobutanol. In one aspect, the recombinant microorganism is further engineered to increase the activity of a native metabolic pathway for conversion of pyruvate to isobutanol. In another aspect, the recombinant microorganism is further engineered to include at least one enzyme encoded by a heterologous gene and at least one enzyme encoded by a native gene. In yet another aspect, the recombinant microorganism is selected to include a native metabolic pathway for conversion of pyruvate to isobutanol.

In one embodiment, a method provided herein includes a yeast recombinant microorganism of the Saccharomyces clade.

In another embodiment, a method provided herein includes a recombinant organism that is a Saccharomyces sensu stricto yeast microorganism. In one aspect, a Saccharomyces sensu stricto yeast microorganism is selected from one of the species: S. cerevisiae, S. cerevisiae, S. kudriavzevii, S. mikatae, S. bayanus, S. uvarum, S. carocanis or hybrids thereof.

In another embodiment, a method provided herein includes a Crabtree-positive recombinant yeast microorganism. In one aspect, a Crabtree-positive yeast microorganism is selected from one of the genera: Saccharomyces, Kluyveromyces, Zygosaccharomyces, Debaryomyces, Pichia or Schizosaccharomyces. In other aspects, a Crabtree-positive yeast microorganism is selected from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces uvarum, Saccharomyces bayanus, Saccharomyces paradoxus, Saccharomyces castelli, Saccharomyces kluyveri, Kluyveromyces thermotolerans, Candida glabrata, Z. bailli, Z. rouxii, Debaryomyces hansenii, Pichia pastorius, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, or Saccharomyces uvarum.

In another embodiment, a method provided herein includes a post-WGD (whole genome duplication) yeast microorganism. In one aspect, a post-WGD yeast is selected from one of the genera Saccharomyces or Candida. In another aspect, a post-WGD yeast is selected from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces uvarum, Saccharomyces bayanus, Saccharomyces paradoxus, Saccharomyces castelli, and Candida glabrata.

In another embodiment, a method of producing isobutanol is provided. The method includes providing a recombinant microorganism that includes an isobutanol producing metabolic pathway and is selected to produce the isobutanol from a carbon source. The recombinant further includes a reduction in pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) activity as compared to a parental microorganism. The method includes cultivating the microorganism in a culture medium containing a feedstock providing the carbon source until a recoverable quantity of the isobutanol is produced and recovering the isobutanol. In some aspects, the microorganism is a yeast of the Saccharomyces clade. In other aspects, the microorganism is engineered to grow on glucose independently of C2-compounds at a growth rate substantially equivalent to the growth rate of a parental microorganism without altered PDC activity. In one aspect, the microorganism is a Saccharomyces sensu stricto yeast. In other aspects, the microorganism is engineered to grow on glucose independently of C2-compounds at a growth rate substantially equivalent to the growth rate of a parental microorganism without altered PDC activity.

In other aspects, the microorganism is a Crabtree-negative yeast microorganism selected from one of the genera: Kluyveromyces, Pichia, Hansenula, or Candida. In other aspects, the Crabtree-negative yeast microorganism is selected from Kluyveromyces lactis, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Pichia anomala, Pichia stipitis, Hanensula., Candida utilis, or Kluyveromyces waltii. In other aspects, a the Crabtree-negative yeast microorganism is selected from Tricosporon pullulans, Rhodotorula lignophila, or Myxozyma vanderwaltii, Candida ethanolica, Debaromyces carsonii, Pichia castillae.

In another aspect, the microorganism is a Crabtree-positive yeast microorganism. In some aspects, the microorganism is engineered to grow on glucose independently of C2-compounds at a growth rate substantially equivalent to the growth rate of a parental microorganism without altered PDC activity. A Crabtree-positive yeast microorganism may be selected from one of the genera: Saccharomyces, Kluyveromyces, Zygosaccharomyces, Debaryomyces, Pichia or Schizosaccharomyces. In other aspects, the Crabtree-positive yeast microorganism is selected from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces uvarum, Saccharomyces bayanus, Saccharomyces paradoxus, Saccharomyces castelli, Saccharomyces kluyveri, Kluyveromyces thermotolerans, Candida glabrata, Z. bailli, Z. rouxii, Debaryomyces hansenii, Pichia pastorius, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, or Saccharomyces uvarum. In other aspects, the microorganism is engineered to grow on glucose independently of C2-compounds at a growth rate substantially equivalent to the growth rate of a parental microorganism without altered PDC activity.

In other aspects, the microorganism is a post-WGD (whole genome duplication) yeast selected from one of the genera Saccharomyces or Candida. In other aspects, the post-WGD yeast is selected from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces uvarum, Saccharomyces bayanus, Saccharomyces paradoxus, Saccharomyces castelli, and Candida glabrata. In other aspects, the microorganism is engineered to grow on glucose independently of C2-compounds at a growth rate substantially equivalent to the growth rate of a parental microorganism without altered PDC activity

In another aspect, the microorganism is a pre-WGD (whole genome duplication) yeast selected from one of the genera Saccharomyces, Kluyveromyces, Candida, Pichia, Debaryomyces, Hansenula, Pachysolen, Yarrowia or Schizosaccharomyces. In other aspects, the pre-WGD yeast is selected from Saccharomyces kluyveri, Kluyveromyces thermotolerans, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Kluyveromyces waltii, Kluyveromyces lactis, Candida tropicalis, Pichia pastoris, Pichia anomala, Pichia stipitis, Debaryomyces hansenii, H. anomala, Pachysolen tannophilis, Yarrowia lipolytica, and Schizosaccharomyces pomb.

In other aspects, a method provided herein includes a microorganism that is a non-fermenting yeast microorganism selected from one of the genera: Tricosporon, Rhodotorula, or Myxozyma.

In another embodiment, recombinant microorganisms are provided. The microorganism includes an isobutanol producing metabolic pathway and is selected to produce the isobutanol from a carbon source. The microorganism also includes a reduction in pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) activity as compared to a parental microorganism. In various aspects, a microorganism provided herein includes Crabtree-negative yeast microorganisms, microorganisms of the Saccharomyces clade, Saccharomyces sensu stricto yeast microorganisms, Crabtree-positive yeast microorganisms, post-WGD (whole genome duplication) yeast microorganism, pre-WGD (whole genome duplication) yeast microorganisms, and non-fermenting yeast microorganisms.

In some embodiments, a microorganism provided herein has been engineered to grow on glucose independently of C2-compounds at a growth rate substantially equivalent to the growth rate of a parental microorganism without altered PDC activity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Illustrative embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an isobutanol pathway.

FIG. 2A illustrates production of pyruvate via glycolysis, together with an isobutanol pathway which converts pyruvate to isobutanol and a PDC pathway which converts pyruvate to acetaldehyde and carbon dioxide.

FIG. 2B illustrates an isobutanol pathway receiving additional pyruvate to form isobutanol at higher yield due to the deletion or reduction of the PDC pathway.

FIG. 3 illustrates the Carbon source composition and feeding rate over time during chemostat evolution of the S. cerevisiae Pdc-minus strain GEVO1584. This graph shows how the acetate was decreased over a period of 480 hours from 0.375 g/L to 0 g/L. It also shows the total feeding rate. Higher feeding rate meant that growth rate was higher. Since the chemostat contained 200 ml of culture, dilution rate can be calculated by dividing the feeding rate by 200 ml.

FIG. 4 illustrates growth of evolved Pdc-minus mutant strain GEVO1863 in YPD compared to the parental strain, GEVO1187.

FIG. 5 illustrates that the evolved PCD mutant, GEVO1863, does not produce ethanol in YPD medium, unlike the parental strain GEVO1187.

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1503.

FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1537.

FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1429.

FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1430.

FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1431.

FIG. 11 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1472.

FIG. 12 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1473.

FIG. 13 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1475.

FIG. 14 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1254.

FIG. 15 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1295.

FIG. 16 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1390.

FIG. 17 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1438.

FIG. 18 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1590.

FIG. 19 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1726.

FIG. 20 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1727.

FIG. 21 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1056.

FIG. 22 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1062.

FIG. 23 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1102.

FIG. 24 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1103.

FIG. 25 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1104.

FIG. 26 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1106.

FIG. 27 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1649.

FIG. 28 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1664.

FIG. 29 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1672.

FIG. 30 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1673.

FIG. 31 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1677.

FIG. 32 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1679.

FIG. 33 illustrates a schematic map of plasmid pGV1683.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “and,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a polynucleotide” includes a plurality of such polynucleotides and reference to “the microorganism” includes reference to one or more microorganisms, and so forth.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice of the disclosed methods and compositions, the exemplary methods, devices and materials are described herein.

Any publications discussed above and throughout the text are provided solely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of the present application. Nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the inventors are not entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior disclosure.

The term “microorganism” includes prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial species from the Domains Archaea, Bacteria and Eucarya, the latter including yeast and filamentous fungi, protozoa, algae, or higher Protista. The terms “microbial cells” and “microbes” are used interchangeably with the term microorganism.

“Bacteria”, or “eubacteria”, refers to a domain of prokaryotic organisms. Bacteria include at least 11 distinct groups as follows: (1) Gram-positive (gram+) bacteria, of which there are two major subdivisions: (1) high G+C group (Actinomycetes, Mycobacteria, Micrococcus, others) (2) low G+C group (Bacillus, Clostridia, Lactobacillus, Staphylococci, Streptococci, Mycoplasmas); (2) Proteobacteria, e.g., Purple photosynthetic+non-photosynthetic Gram-negative bacteria (includes most “common” Gram-negative bacteria); (3) Cyanobacteria, e.g., oxygenic phototrophs; (4) Spirochetes and related species; (5) Planctomyces; (6) Bacteroides, Flavobacteria; (7) Chlamydia; (8) Green sulfur bacteria; (9) Green non-sulfur bacteria (also anaerobic phototrophs); (10) Radioresistant micrococci and relatives; (11) Thermotoga and Thermosipho thermophiles.

“Gram-negative bacteria” include cocci, nonenteric rods, and enteric rods. The genera of Gram-negative bacteria include, for example, Neisseria, Spirillum, Pasteurella, Brucella, Yersinia, Francisella, Haemophilus, Bordetella, Escherichia, Salmonella, Shigella, Klebsiella, Proteus, Vibrio, Pseudomonas, Bacteroides, Acetobacter, Aerobacter, Agrobacterium, Azotobacter, Spirilla, Serratia, Vibrio, Rhizobium, Chlamydia, Rickettsia, Treponema, and Fusobacterium.

“Gram positive bacteria” include cocci, nonsporulating rods, and sporulating rods. The genera of gram positive bacteria include, for example, Actinomyces, Bacillus, Clostridium, Corynebacterium, Erysipelothrix, Lactobacillus, Listeria, Mycobacterium, Myxococcus, Nocardia, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Streptomyces.

The term “genus” is defined as a taxonomic group of related species according to the Taxonomic Outline of Bacteria and Archaea (Garrity, G. M., Lilburn, T. G., Cole, J. R., Harrison, S. H., Euzeby, J., and Tindall, B. J. (2007) The Taxonomic Outline of Bacteria and Archaea. TOBA Release 7.7, March 2007. Michigan State University Board of Trustees.

The term “species” is defined as a collection of closely related organisms with greater than 97% 16S ribosomal RNA sequence homology and greater than 70% genomic hybridization and sufficiently different from all other organisms so as to be recognized as a distinct unit.

The term “recombinant microorganism” and “recombinant host cell” are used interchangeably herein and refer to microorganisms that have been genetically modified to express or over-express endogenous polynucleotides, or to express heterologous polynucleotides, such as those included in a vector, or which have an alteration in expression of an endogenous gene. By “alteration” it is meant that the expression of the gene, or level of a RNA molecule or equivalent RNA molecules encoding one or more polypeptides or polypeptide subunits, or activity of one or more polypeptides or polypeptide subunits is up regulated or down regulated, such that expression, level, or activity is greater than or less than that observed in the absence of the alteration. For example, the term “alter” can mean “inhibit,” but the use of the word “alter” is not limited to this definition.

The term “expression” with respect to a gene sequence refers to transcription of the gene and, as appropriate, translation of the resulting mRNA transcript to a protein. Thus, as will be clear from the context, expression of a protein results from transcription and translation of the open reading frame sequence. The level of expression of a desired product in a host cell may be determined on the basis of either the amount of corresponding mRNA that is present in the cell, or the amount of the desired product encoded by the selected sequence. For example, mRNA transcribed from a selected sequence can be quantitated by PCR or by northern hybridization (see Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press (1989)). Protein encoded by a selected sequence can be quantitated by various methods, e.g., by ELISA, by assaying for the biological activity of the protein, or by employing assays that are independent of such activity, such as western blotting or radioimmunoassay, using antibodies that are recognize and bind reacting the protein. See Sambrook et al., 1989, supra. The polynucleotide generally encodes a target enzyme involved in a metabolic pathway for producing a desired metabolite. It is understood that the terms “recombinant microorganism” and “recombinant host cell” refer not only to the particular recombinant microorganism but to the progeny or potential progeny of such a microorganism. Because certain modifications may occur in succeeding generations due to either mutation or environmental influences, such progeny may not, in fact, be identical to the parent cell, but are still included within the scope of the term as used herein.

The term “wild-type microorganism” describes a cell that occurs in nature, i.e. a cell that has not been genetically modified. A wild-type microorganism can be genetically modified to express or overexpress a first target enzyme. This microorganism can act as a parental microorganism in the generation of a microorganism modified to express or overexpress a second target enzyme. In turn, the microorganism modified to express or overexpress a first and a second target enzyme can be modified to express or overexpress a third target enzyme.

Accordingly, a “parental microorganism” functions as a reference cell for successive genetic modification events. Each modification event can be accomplished by introducing a nucleic acid molecule in to the reference cell. The introduction facilitates the expression or overexpression of a target enzyme. It is understood that the term “facilitates” encompasses the activation of endogenous polynucleotides encoding a target enzyme through genetic modification of e.g., a promoter sequence in a parental microorganism. It is further understood that the term “facilitates” encompasses the introduction of heterologous polynucleotides encoding a target enzyme in to a parental microorganism.

The term “engineer” refers to any manipulation of a microorganism that result in a detectable change in the microorganism, wherein the manipulation includes but is not limited to inserting a polynucleotide and/or polypeptide heterologous to the microorganism and mutating a polynucleotide and/or polypeptide native to the microorganism. The term “metabolically engineered” or “metabolic engineering” involves rational pathway design and assembly of biosynthetic genes, genes associated with operons, and control elements of such polynucleotides, for the production of a desired metabolite. “Metabolically engineered” can further include optimization of metabolic flux by regulation and optimization of transcription, translation, protein stability and protein functionality using genetic engineering and appropriate culture condition including the reduction of, disruption, or knocking out of, a competing metabolic pathway that competes with an intermediate leading to a desired pathway.

The terms “metabolically engineered microorganism” and “modified microorganism” are used interchangeably herein and refer not only to the particular subject cell but to the progeny or potential progeny of such a cell. Because certain modifications may occur in succeeding generations due to either mutation or environmental influences, such progeny may not, in fact, be identical to the parent cell, but are still included within the scope of the term as used herein.

The term “mutation” as used herein indicates any modification of a nucleic acid and/or polypeptide which results in an altered nucleic acid or polypeptide. Mutations include, for example, point mutations, deletions, or insertions of single or multiple residues in a polynucleotide, which includes alterations arising within a protein-encoding region of a gene as well as alterations in regions outside of a protein-encoding sequence, such as, but not limited to, regulatory or promoter sequences. A genetic alteration may be a mutation of any type. For instance, the mutation may constitute a point mutation, a frame-shift mutation, an insertion, or a deletion of part or all of a gene. In addition, in some embodiments of the modified microorganism, a portion of the microorganism genome has been replaced with a heterologous polynucleotide. In some embodiments, the mutations are naturally-occurring. In other embodiments, the mutations are the results of artificial selection pressure. In still other embodiments, the mutations in the microorganism genome are the result of genetic engineering.

The term “biosynthetic pathway”, also referred to as “metabolic pathway”, refers to a set of anabolic or catabolic biochemical reactions for converting one chemical species into another. Gene products belong to the same “metabolic pathway” if they, in parallel or in series, act on the same substrate, produce the same product, or act on or produce a metabolic intermediate (i.e., metabolite) between the same substrate and metabolite end product.

The term “heterologous” as used herein with reference to molecules and in particular enzymes and polynucleotides, indicates molecules that are expressed in an organism other than the organism from which they originated or are found in nature, independently of the level of expression that can be lower, equal or higher than the level of expression of the molecule in the native microorganism.

On the other hand, the term “native” or “endogenous” as used herein with reference to molecules, and in particular enzymes and polynucleotides, indicates molecules that are expressed in the organism in which they originated or are found in nature, independently of the level of expression that can be lower equal or higher than the level of expression of the molecule in the native microorganism. It is understood that expression of native enzymes or polynucleotides may be modified in recombinant microorganisms.

The term “feedstock” is defined as a raw material or mixture of raw materials supplied to a microorganism or fermentation process from which other products can be made. For example, a carbon source, such as biomass or the carbon compounds derived from biomass are a feedstock for a microorganism that produces a biofuel in a fermentation process. However, a feedstock may contain nutrients other than a carbon source.

The term “substrate” or “suitable substrate” refers to any substance or compound that is converted or meant to be converted into another compound by the action of an enzyme. The term includes not only a single compound, but also combinations of compounds, such as solutions, mixtures and other materials which contain at least one substrate, or derivatives thereof. Further, the term “substrate” encompasses not only compounds that provide a carbon source suitable for use as a starting material, such as any biomass derived sugar, but also intermediate and end product metabolites used in a pathway associated with a metabolically engineered microorganism as described herein.

The term “fermentation” or “fermentation process” is defined as a process in which a microorganism is cultivated in a culture medium containing raw materials, such as feedstock and nutrients, wherein the microorganism converts raw materials, such as a feedstock, into products.

The term “cell dry weight” or “CDW” refers to the weight of the microorganism after the water contained in the microorganism has been removed using methods known to one skilled in the art. CDW is reported in grams.

The term “biofuel” refers to a fuel in which all carbon contained within the fuel is derived from biomass and is biochemically converted, at least in part, in to a fuel by a microorganism. A biofuel is further defined as a non-ethanol compound which contains less than 0.5 oxygen atoms per carbon atom. A biofuel is a fuel in its own right, but may be blended with petroleum-derived fuels to generate a fuel. A biofuel may be used as a replacement for petrochemically-derived gasoline, diesel fuel, or jet fuel.

The term “volumetric productivity” or “production rate” is defined as the amount of product formed per volume of medium per unit of time. Volumetric productivity is reported in gram per liter per hour (g/L/h).

The term “yield” is defined as the amount of product obtained per unit weight of raw material and may be expressed as g product per g substrate (g/g). Yield may be expressed as a percentage of the theoretical yield. “Theoretical yield” is defined as the maximum amount of product that can be generated per a given amount of substrate as dictated by the stoichiometry of the metabolic pathway used to make the product. For example, the theoretical yield for one typical conversion of glucose to isobutanol is 0.41 g/g. As such, a yield of isobutanol from glucose of 0.39 g/g would be expressed as 95% of theoretical or 95% theoretical yield.

The term “titer” is defined as the strength of a solution or the concentration of a substance in solution. For example, the titer of a biofuel in a fermentation broth is described as g of biofuel in solution per liter of fermentation broth (g/L).

A “facultative anaerobic organism” or a “facultative anaerobic microorganism” is defined as an organism that can grow in either the presence or in the absence of oxygen.

A “strictly anaerobic organism” or a “strictly anaerobic microorganism” is defined as an organism that cannot grow in the presence of oxygen and which does not survive exposure to any concentration of oxygen.

An “anaerobic organism” or an “anaerobic microorganism” is defined as an organism that cannot grow in the presence of oxygen.

“Aerobic conditions” are defined as conditions under which the oxygen concentration in the fermentation medium is sufficiently high for an aerobic or facultative anaerobic microorganism to use as a terminal electron acceptor.

In contrast, “Anaerobic conditions” are defined as conditions under which the oxygen concentration in the fermentation medium is too low for the microorganism to use as a terminal electron acceptor. Anaerobic conditions may be achieved by sparging a fermentation medium with an inert gas such as nitrogen until oxygen is no longer available to the microorganism as a terminal electron acceptor. Alternatively, anaerobic conditions may be achieved by the microorganism consuming the available oxygen of the fermentation until oxygen is unavailable to the microorganism as a terminal electron acceptor.

“Aerobic metabolism” refers to a biochemical process in which oxygen is used as a terminal electron acceptor to make energy, typically in the form of ATP, from carbohydrates. Aerobic metabolism occurs e.g. via glycolysis and the TCA cycle, wherein a single glucose molecule is metabolized completely into carbon dioxide in the presence of oxygen.

In contrast, “anaerobic metabolism” refers to a biochemical process in which oxygen is not the final acceptor of electrons contained in NADH. Anaerobic metabolism can be divided into anaerobic respiration, in which compounds other than oxygen serve as the terminal electron acceptor, and substrate level phosphorylation, in which the electrons from NADH are utilized to generate a reduced product via a “fermentative pathway.”

In “fermentative pathways”, NAD(P)H donates its electrons to a molecule produced by the same metabolic pathway that produced the electrons carried in NAD(P)H. For example, in one of the fermentative pathways of certain yeast strains, NAD(P)H generated through glycolysis transfers its electrons to pyruvate, yielding ethanol. Fermentative pathways are usually active under anaerobic conditions but may also occur under aerobic conditions, under conditions where NADH is not fully oxidized via the respiratory chain. For example, above certain glucose concentrations, Crabtree positive yeasts produce large amounts of ethanol under aerobic conditions.

The term “byproduct” means an undesired product related to the production of a biofuel or biofuel precursor. Byproducts are generally disposed as waste, adding cost to a production process.

The term “non-fermenting yeast” is a yeast species that fails to demonstrate an anaerobic metabolism in which the electrons from NADH are utilized to generate a reduced product via a fermentative pathway such as the production of ethanol and CO₂ from glucose. Non-fermentative yeast can be identified by the “Durham Tube Test” (J. A. Barnett, R. W. Payne, and D. Yarrow. 2000. Yeasts Characteristics and Identification. 3^(rd) edition. p. 28-29. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.) or the by monitoring the production of fermentation productions such as ethanol and CO₂.

The term “polynucleotide” is used herein interchangeably with the term “nucleic acid” and refers to an organic polymer composed of two or more monomers including nucleotides, nucleosides or analogs thereof, including but not limited to single stranded or double stranded, sense or antisense deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of any length and, where appropriate, single stranded or double stranded, sense or antisense ribonucleic acid (RNA) of any length, including siRNA. The term “nucleotide” refers to any of several compounds that consist of a ribose or deoxyribose sugar joined to a purine or a pyrimidine base and to a phosphate group, and that are the basic structural units of nucleic acids. The term “nucleoside” refers to a compound (as guanosine or adenosine) that consists of a purine or pyrimidine base combined with deoxyribose or ribose and is found especially in nucleic acids. The term “nucleotide analog” or “nucleoside analog” refers, respectively, to a nucleotide or nucleoside in which one or more individual atoms have been replaced with a different atom or with a different functional group. Accordingly, the term polynucleotide includes nucleic acids of any length, DNA, RNA, analogs and fragments thereof. A polynucleotide of three or more nucleotides is also called nucleotidic oligomer or oligonucleotide.

It is understood that the polynucleotides described herein include “genes” and that the nucleic acid molecules described herein include “vectors” or “plasmids.” Accordingly, the term “gene”, also called a “structural gene” refers to a polynucleotide that codes for a particular sequence of amino acids, which comprise all or part of one or more proteins or enzymes, and may include regulatory (non-transcribed) DNA sequences, such as promoter sequences, which determine for example the conditions under which the gene is expressed. The transcribed region of the gene may include untranslated regions, including introns, 5′-untranslated region (UTR), and 3′-UTR, as well as the coding sequence.

The term “operon” refers to two or more genes which are transcribed as a single transcriptional unit from a common promoter. In some embodiments, the genes comprising the operon are contiguous genes. It is understood that transcription of an entire operon can be modified (i.e., increased, decreased, or eliminated) by modifying the common promoter. Alternatively, any gene or combination of genes in an operon can be modified to alter the function or activity of the encoded polypeptide. The modification can result in an increase in the activity of the encoded polypeptide. Further, the modification can impart new activities on the encoded polypeptide. Exemplary new activities include the use of alternative substrates and/or the ability to function in alternative environmental conditions.

A “vector” is any means by which a nucleic acid can be propagated and/or transferred between organisms, cells, or cellular components. Vectors include viruses, bacteriophage, pro-viruses, plasmids, phagemids, transposons, and artificial chromosomes such as YACs (yeast artificial chromosomes), BACs (bacterial artificial chromosomes), and PLACs (plant artificial chromosomes), and the like, that are “episomes,” that is, that replicate autonomously or can integrate into a chromosome of a host cell. A vector can also be a naked RNA polynucleotide, a naked DNA polynucleotide, a polynucleotide composed of both DNA and RNA within the same strand, a poly-lysine-conjugated DNA or RNA, a peptide-conjugated DNA or RNA, a liposome-conjugated DNA, or the like, that are not episomal in nature, or it can be an organism which comprises one or more of the above polynucleotide constructs such as an agrobacterium or a bacterium.

“Transformation” refers to the process by which a vector is introduced into a host cell. Transformation (or transduction, or transfection), can be achieved by any one of a number of means including chemical transformation (e.g. lithium acetate transformation), electroporation, microinjection, biolistics (or particle bombardment-mediated delivery), or agrobacterium mediated transformation.

The term “enzyme” as used herein refers to any substance that catalyzes or promotes one or more chemical or biochemical reactions, which usually includes enzymes totally or partially composed of a polypeptide, but can include enzymes composed of a different molecule including polynucleotides.

The term “protein” or “polypeptide” as used herein indicates an organic polymer composed of two or more amino acidic monomers and/or analogs thereof. As used herein, the term “amino acid” or “amino acidic monomer” refers to any natural and/or synthetic amino acids including glycine and both D or L optical isomers. The term “amino acid analog” refers to an amino acid in which one or more individual atoms have been replaced, either with a different atom, or with a different functional group. Accordingly, the term polypeptide includes amino acidic polymer of any length including full length proteins, and peptides as well as analogs and fragments thereof. A polypeptide of three or more amino acids is also called a protein oligomer or oligopeptide.

The term “homolog”, used with respect to an original enzyme or gene of a first family or species, refers to distinct enzymes or genes of a second family or species which are determined by functional, structural or genomic analyses to be an enzyme or gene of the second family or species which corresponds to the original enzyme or gene of the first family or species. Most often, homologs will have functional, structural or genomic similarities. Techniques are known by which homologs of an enzyme or gene can readily be cloned using genetic probes and PCR. Identity of cloned sequences as homolog can be confirmed using functional assays and/or by genomic mapping of the genes.

A protein has “homology” or is “homologous” to a second protein if the nucleic acid sequence that encodes the protein has a similar sequence to the nucleic acid sequence that encodes the second protein. Alternatively, a protein has homology to a second protein if the two proteins have “similar” amino acid sequences. (Thus, the term “homologous proteins” is defined to mean that the two proteins have similar amino acid sequences).

The term “analog” or “analogous” refers to nucleic acid or protein sequences or protein structures that are related to one another in function only and are not from common descent or do not share a common ancestral sequence. Analogs may differ in sequence but may share a similar structure, due to convergent evolution. For example, two enzymes are analogs or analogous if the enzymes catalyze the same reaction of conversion of a substrate to a product, are unrelated in sequence, and irrespective of whether the two enzymes are related in structure.

The Microorganism in General

Native producers of 1-butanol, such as Clostridium acetobutylicum, are known, but these organisms also generate byproducts such as acetone, ethanol, and butyrate during fermentations. Furthermore, these microorganisms are relatively difficult to manipulate, with significantly fewer tools available than in more commonly used production hosts such as S. cerevisiae or E. coli. Additionally, the physiology and metabolic regulation of these native producers are much less well understood, impeding rapid progress towards high-efficiency production. Furthermore, no native microorganisms have been identified that can metabolize glucose into isobutanol in industrially relevant quantities.

The production of isobutanol and other fusel alcohols by various yeast species, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae is of special interest to the distillers of alcoholic beverages, for whom fusel alcohols constitute often undesirable off-notes. Production of isobutanol in wild-type yeasts has been documented on various growth media, ranging from grape must from winemaking (Romano, et al., Metabolic diversity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains from spontaneously fermented grape musts, World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology. 19:311-315, 2003), in which 12-219 mg/L isobutanol were produced, to supplemented minimal media (Oliviera, et al. (2005) World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology 21:1569-1576), producing 16-34 mg/L isobutanol. Work from Dickinson, et al. (J Biol Chem. 272(43):26871-8, 1997) has identified the enzymatic steps utilized in an endogenous S. cerevisiae pathway converting branch-chain amino acids (e.g., valine or leucine) to isobutanol.

Recombinant microorganisms provided herein can express a plurality of heterologous and/or native target enzymes involved in pathways for the production isobutanol from a suitable carbon source.

Accordingly, metabolically “engineered” or “modified” microorganisms are produced via the introduction of genetic material into a host or parental microorganism of choice and/or by modification of the expression of native genes, thereby modifying or altering the cellular physiology and biochemistry of the microorganism. Through the introduction of genetic material and/or the modification of the expression of native genes the parental microorganism acquires new properties, e.g. the ability to produce a new, or greater quantities of, an intracellular metabolite. As described herein, the introduction of genetic material into and/or the modification of the expression of native genes in a parental microorganism results in a new or modified ability to produce isobutanol. The genetic material introduced into and/or the genes modified for expression in the parental microorganism contains gene(s), or parts of genes, coding for one or more of the enzymes involved in a biosynthetic pathway for the production of isobutanol and may also include additional elements for the expression and/or regulation of expression of these genes, e.g. promoter sequences.

In addition to the introduction of a genetic material into a host or parental microorganism, an engineered or modified microorganism can also include alteration, disruption, deletion or knocking-out of a gene or polynucleotide to alter the cellular physiology and biochemistry of the microorganism. Through the alteration, disruption, deletion or knocking-out of a gene or polynucleotide the microorganism acquires new or improved properties (e.g., the ability to produce a new metabolite or greater quantities of an intracellular metabolite, improve the flux of a metabolite down a desired pathway, and/or reduce the production of byproducts).

Recombinant microorganisms provided herein may also produce metabolites in quantities not available in the parental microorganism. A “metabolite” refers to any substance produced by metabolism or a substance necessary for or taking part in a particular metabolic process. A metabolite can be an organic compound that is a starting material (e.g., glucose or pyruvate), an intermediate (e.g., 2-ketoisovalerate), or an end product (e.g., isobutanol) of metabolism. Metabolites can be used to construct more complex molecules, or they can be broken down into simpler ones. Intermediate metabolites may be synthesized from other metabolites, perhaps used to make more complex substances, or broken down into simpler compounds, often with the release of chemical energy.

Exemplary metabolites include glucose, pyruvate, and isobutanol. The metabolite isobutanol can be produced by a recombinant microorganism metabolically engineered to express or over-express a metabolic pathway that converts pyruvate to isobutanol. An exemplary metabolic pathway that converts pyruvate to isobutanol may be comprised of an acetohydroxy acid synthase (ALS), a ketolacid reductoisomerase (KARI), a dihyroxy-acid dehydratase (DHAD), a 2-keto-acid decarboxylase (KIVD), and an alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH).

Accordingly, provided herein are recombinant microorganisms that produce isobutanol and in some aspects may include the elevated expression of target enzymes such as ALS, KARI, DHAD, KIVD, and ADH.

The disclosure identifies specific genes useful in the methods, compositions and organisms of the disclosure; however it will be recognized that absolute identity to such genes is not necessary. For example, changes in a particular gene or polynucleotide comprising a sequence encoding a polypeptide or enzyme can be performed and screened for activity. Typically such changes comprise conservative mutation and silent mutations. Such modified or mutated polynucleotides and polypeptides can be screened for expression of a functional enzyme using methods known in the art.

Due to the inherent degeneracy of the genetic code, other polynucleotides which encode substantially the same or functionally equivalent polypeptides can also be used to clone and express the polynucleotides encoding such enzymes.

As will be understood by those of skill in the art, it can be advantageous to modify a coding sequence to enhance its expression in a particular host. The genetic code is redundant with 64 possible codons, but most organisms typically use a subset of these codons. The codons that are utilized most often in a species are called optimal codons, and those not utilized very often are classified as rare or low-usage codons. Codons can be substituted to reflect the preferred codon usage of the host, a process sometimes called “codon optimization” or “controlling for species codon bias.”

Optimized coding sequences containing codons preferred by a particular prokaryotic or eukaryotic host (see also, Murray et al. (1989) Nucl. Acids Res. 17:477-508) can be prepared, for example, to increase the rate of translation or to produce recombinant RNA transcripts having desirable properties, such as a longer half-life, as compared with transcripts produced from a non-optimized sequence. Translation stop codons can also be modified to reflect host preference. For example, typical stop codons for S. cerevisiae and mammals are UAA and UGA, respectively. The typical stop codon for monocotyledonous plants is UGA, whereas insects and E. coli commonly use UAA as the stop codon (Dalphin et al. (1996) Nucl. Acids Res. 24: 216-218). Methodology for optimizing a nucleotide sequence for expression in a plant is provided, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,891, and the references cited therein.

Those of skill in the art will recognize that, due to the degenerate nature of the genetic code, a variety of DNA compounds differing in their nucleotide sequences can be used to encode a given enzyme of the disclosure. The native DNA sequence encoding the biosynthetic enzymes described above are referenced herein merely to illustrate an embodiment of the disclosure, and the disclosure includes DNA compounds of any sequence that encode the amino acid sequences of the polypeptides and proteins of the enzymes utilized in the methods of the disclosure. In similar fashion, a polypeptide can typically tolerate one or more amino acid substitutions, deletions, and insertions in its amino acid sequence without loss or significant loss of a desired activity. The disclosure includes such polypeptides with different amino acid sequences than the specific proteins described herein so long as they modified or variant polypeptides have the enzymatic anabolic or catabolic activity of the reference polypeptide. Furthermore, the amino acid sequences encoded by the DNA sequences shown herein merely illustrate embodiments of the disclosure.

In addition, homologs of enzymes useful for generating metabolites are encompassed by the microorganisms and methods provided herein.

As used herein, two proteins (or a region of the proteins) are substantially homologous when the amino acid sequences have at least about 30%, 40%, 50% 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% identity. To determine the percent identity of two amino acid sequences, or of two nucleic acid sequences, the sequences are aligned for optimal comparison purposes (e.g., gaps can be introduced in one or both of a first and a second amino acid or nucleic acid sequence for optimal alignment and non-homologous sequences can be disregarded for comparison purposes). In one embodiment, the length of a reference sequence aligned for comparison purposes is at least 30%, typically at least 40%, more typically at least 50%, even more typically at least 60%, and even more typically at least 70%, 80%, 90%, 100% of the length of the reference sequence. The amino acid residues or nucleotides at corresponding amino acid positions or nucleotide positions are then compared. When a position in the first sequence is occupied by the same amino acid residue or nucleotide as the corresponding position in the second sequence, then the molecules are identical at that position (as used herein amino acid or nucleic acid “identity” is equivalent to amino acid or nucleic acid “homology”). The percent identity between the two sequences is a function of the number of identical positions shared by the sequences, taking into account the number of gaps, and the length of each gap, which need to be introduced for optimal alignment of the two sequences.

When “homologous” is used in reference to proteins or peptides, it is recognized that residue positions that are not identical often differ by conservative amino acid substitutions. A “conservative amino acid substitution” is one in which an amino acid residue is substituted by another amino acid residue having a side chain (R group) with similar chemical properties (e.g., charge or hydrophobicity). In general, a conservative amino acid substitution will not substantially change the functional properties of a protein. In cases where two or more amino acid sequences differ from each other by conservative substitutions, the percent sequence identity or degree of homology may be adjusted upwards to correct for the conservative nature of the substitution. Means for making this adjustment are well known to those of skill in the art (see, e.g., Pearson W. R. Using the FASTA program to search protein and DNA sequence databases, Methods in Molecular Biology, 1994, 25:365-89, hereby incorporated herein by reference).

The following six groups each contain amino acids that are conservative substitutions for one another: 1) Serine (S), Threonine (T); 2) Aspartic Acid (D), Glutamic Acid (E); 3) Asparagine (N), Glutamine (Q); 4) Arginine (R), Lysine (K); 5) Isoleucine (I), Leucine (L), Methionine (M), Alanine (A), Valine (V), and 6) Phenylalanine (F), Tyrosine (Y), Tryptophan (W).

Sequence homology for polypeptides, which is also referred to as percent sequence identity, is typically measured using sequence analysis software. See, e.g., the Sequence Analysis Software Package of the Genetics Computer Group (GCG), University of Wisconsin Biotechnology Center, 910 University Avenue, Madison, Wis. 53705. Protein analysis software matches similar sequences using measure of homology assigned to various substitutions, deletions and other modifications, including conservative amino acid substitutions. For instance, GCG contains programs such as “Gap” and “Bestfit” which can be used with default parameters to determine sequence homology or sequence identity between closely related polypeptides, such as homologous polypeptides from different species of organisms or between a wild type protein and a mutant protein thereof. See, e.g., GCG Version 6.1.

A typical algorithm used comparing a molecule sequence to a database containing a large number of sequences from different organisms is the computer program BLAST (Altschul, S. F., et al. (1990) “Basic local alignment search tool.” J. Mol. Biol. 215:403-410; Gish, W. and States, D. J. (1993) “Identification of protein coding regions by database similarity search.” Nature Genet. 3:266-272; Madden, T. L., et al. (1996) “Applications of network BLAST server” Meth. Enzymol. 266:131-141; Altschul, S. F., et al. (1997) “Gapped BLAST and PSI-BLAST: a new generation of protein database search programs.” Nucleic Acids Res. 25:3389-3402; Zhang, J. and Madden, T. L. (1997) “PowerBLAST: A new network BLAST application for interactive or automated sequence analysis and annotation.” Genome Res. 7:649-656), especially blastp or tblastn (Altschul, S. F., et al. (1997) “Gapped BLAST and PSI-BLAST: a new generation of protein database search programs.” Nucleic Acids Res. 25:3389-3402). Typical parameters for BLASTp are: Expectation value: 10 (default); Filter: seg (default); Cost to open a gap: 11 (default); Cost to extend a gap: 1 (default); Max. alignments: 100 (default); Word size: 11 (default); No. of descriptions: 100 (default); Penalty Matrix: BLOWSUM62.

When searching a database containing sequences from a large number of different organisms, it is typical to compare amino acid sequences. Database searching using amino acid sequences can be measured by algorithms other than blastp known in the art. For instance, polypeptide sequences can be compared using FASTA, a program in GCG Version 6.1. FASTA provides alignments and percent sequence identity of the regions of the best overlap between the query and search sequences (Pearson, W. R. (1990) “Rapid and Sensitive Sequence Comparison with FASTP and FASTA” Meth. Enzymol. 183:63-98). For example, a percent sequence identity between amino acid sequences can be determined using FASTA with its default parameters (a word size of 2 and the PAM250 scoring matrix), as provided in GCG Version 6.1, hereby incorporated herein by reference.

The disclosure provides metabolically engineered microorganisms comprising a biochemical pathway for the production of isobutanol from a suitable substrate at a high yield. A metabolically engineered microorganism of the disclosure comprises one or more recombinant polynucleotides within the genome of the organism or external to the genome within the organism. The microorganism can comprise a reduction, disruption or knockout of a gene found in the wild-type organism and/or introduction of a heterologous polynucleotide and/or expression or overexpression of an endogenous polynucleotide.

In one aspect, the disclosure provides a recombinant microorganism comprising elevated expression of at least one target enzyme as compared to a parental microorganism or encodes an enzyme not found in the parental organism. In another or further aspect, the microorganism comprises a reduction, disruption or knockout of at least one gene encoding an enzyme that competes with a metabolite necessary for the production of isobutanol. The recombinant microorganism produces at least one metabolite involved in a biosynthetic pathway for the production of isobutanol. In general, the recombinant microorganisms comprises at least one recombinant metabolic pathway that comprises a target enzyme and may further include a reduction in activity or expression of an enzyme in a competitive biosynthetic pathway. The pathway acts to modify a substrate or metabolic intermediate in the production of isobutanol. The target enzyme is encoded by, and expressed from, a polynucleotide derived from a suitable biological source. In some embodiments, the polynucleotide comprises a gene derived from a prokaryotic or eukaryotic source and recombinantly engineered into the microorganism of the disclosure. In other embodiments, the polynucleotide comprises a gene that is native to the host organism.

It is understood that a range of microorganisms can be modified to include a recombinant metabolic pathway suitable for the production of isobutanol. In various embodiments, microorganisms may be selected from yeast microorganisms. Yeast microorganisms for the production of isobutanol may be selected based on certain characteristics:

One characteristic may include the property that the microorganism is selected to convert various carbon sources into isobutanol. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the recombinant microorganism herein disclosed can convert a variety of carbon sources to products, including but not limited to glucose, galactose, mannose, xylose, arabinose, lactose, sucrose, and mixtures thereof.

Another characteristic may include the property that the wild-type or parental microorganism is non-fermenting. In other words, it cannot metabolize a carbon source anaerobically while the yeast is able to metabolize a carbon source in the presence of oxygen. Non-fermenting yeast refers to both naturally occurring yeasts as well as genetically modified yeast. During anaerobic fermentation with fermentative yeast, the main pathway to oxidize the NADH from glycolysis is through the production of ethanol. Ethanol is produced by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) via the reduction of acetaldehyde, which is generated from pyruvate by pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC). Thus, in one embodiment, a fermentative yeast can be engineered to be non-fermentative by the reduction or elimination of the native PDC activity. Thus, most of the pyruvate produced by glycolysis is not consumed by PDC and is available for the isobutanol pathway. Deletion of this pathway increases the pyruvate and the reducing equivalents available for the isobutanol pathway. Fermentative pathways contribute to low yield and low productivity of isobutanol. Accordingly, deletion of PDC may increase yield and productivity of isobutanol.

A third characteristic may include the property that the biocatalyst is selected to convert various carbon sources into isobutanol.

In one embodiment, the yeast microorganisms may be selected from the “Saccharomyces Yeast Clade”, defined as an ascomycetous yeast taxonomic class by Kurtzman and Robnett in 1998 (“Identification and phylogeny of ascomycetous yeast from analysis of nuclear large subunit (26S) ribosomal DNA partial sequences.” Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 73: 331-371, FIG. 2). They were able to determine the relatedness of approximately 500 yeast species by comparing the nucleotide sequence of the D1/D2 domain at the 5′ end of the gene encoding the large ribosomal subunit 26S. In pair-wise comparisons of the D1/D2 nucleotide sequences of S. cerevisiae and of the two most distant yeast from this Saccharomyces yeast clade, K. lactis and K. marxianus, share greater than 80% identity.

The term “Saccharomyces sensu stricto” taxonomy group is a cluster of yeast species that are highly related to S. cerevisiae (Rainieri, S. et al 2003. Saccharomyces Sensu Stricto Systematics, Genetic Diversity and Evolution. J. Biosci Bioengin 96(1)1-9. Saccharomyces sensu stricto yeast species include but are not limited to S. cerevisiae, S. cerevisiae, S. kudriavzevii, S. mikatae, S. bayanus, S. uvarum, S. carocanis and hybrids derived from these species (Masneuf et al. 1998. New Hybrids between Saccharomyces Sensu Stricto Yeast Species Found Among Wine and Cider Production Strains. Yeast 7(1)61-72).

An ancient whole genome duplication (WGD) event occurred during the evolution of the hemiascomycete yeast and was discovered using comparative genomic tools (Kellis et al 2004 “Proof and evolutionary analysis of ancient genome duplication in the yeast S. cerevisiae.” Nature 428:617-624. Dujon et al 2004 “Genome evolution in yeasts.” Nature 430:35-44. Langkjaer et al 2003 “Yeast genome duplication was followed by asynchronous differentiation of duplicated genes.” Nature 428:848-852. Wolfe and Shields 1997 “Molecular evidence for an ancient duplication of the entire yeast genome.” Nature 387:708-713.) Using this major evolutionary event, yeast can be divided into species that diverged from a common ancestor following the WGD event (termed “post-WGD yeast” herein) and species that diverged from the yeast lineage prior to the WGD event (termed “pre-WGD yeast” herein).

Accordingly, in one embodiment, the yeast microorganism may be selected from a post-WGD yeast genus, including but not limited to Saccharomyces and Candida. The favored post-WGD yeast species include: S. cerevisiae, S. uvarum, S. bayanus, S. paradoxus, S. castelli, and C. glabrata.

In another embodiment, the yeast microorganism may be selected from a pre-whole genome duplication (pre-WGD) yeast genus including but not limited to Saccharomyces, Kluyveromyces, Candida, Pichia, Issatchenkia, Debaryomyces, Hansenula, Yarrowia and, Schizosaccharomyces. Representative pre-WGD yeast species include: S. kluyveri, K. thermotolerans, K. marxianus, K. waltii, K. lactis, C. tropicalis, P. pastoris, P. anomala, P. stipitis, I. orientalis, I. occidentalis, I. scutulata, D. hansenii, H. anomala, Y. lipolytica, and S. pombe.

A yeast microorganism may be either Crabtree-negative or Crabtree-positive. A yeast cell having a Crabtree-negative phenotype is any yeast cell that does not exhibit the Crabtree effect. The term “Crabtree-negative” refers to both naturally occurring and genetically modified organisms. Briefly, the Crabtree effect is defined as the inhibition of oxygen consumption by a microorganism when cultured under aerobic conditions due to the presence of a high concentration of glucose (e.g., 50 g-glucose L⁻¹). In other words, a yeast cell having a Crabtree-positive phenotype continues to ferment irrespective of oxygen availability due to the presence of glucose, while a yeast cell having a Crabtree-negative phenotype does not exhibit glucose mediated inhibition of oxygen consumption.

Accordingly, in one embodiment the yeast microorgnanism may be selected from yeast with a Crabtree-negative phenotype including but not limited to the following genera: Kluyveromyces, Pichia, Issatchenkia, Hansenula, and Candida. Crabtree-negative species include but are not limited to: K. lactis, K. marxianus, P. anomala, P. stipitis, I. orientalis, I. occidentalis, I. scutulata, H. anomala, and C. utilis.

In another embodiment, the yeast microorganism may be selected from a yeast with a Crabtree-positive phenotype, including but not limited to Saccharomyces, Kluyveromyces, Zygosaccharomyces, Debaryomyces, Pichia and Schizosaccharomyces. Crabtree-positive yeast species include but are not limited to: S. cerevisiae, S. uvarum, S. bayanus, S. paradoxus, S. castelli, S. kluyveri, K. thermotolerans, C. glabrata, Z. bailli, Z. rouxii, D. hansenii, P. pastorius, and S. pombe.

In one embodiment, a yeast microorganism is engineered to convert a carbon source, such as glucose, to pyruvate by glycolysis and the pyruvate is converted to isobutanol via an engineered isobutanol pathway (PCT/US2006/041602, PCT/US2008/053514). Alternative pathways for the production of isobutanol have been described in International Patent Application No PCT/US2006/041602 and in Dickinson et al., Journal of Biological Chemistry 273:25751-15756 (1998).

Accordingly, the engineered isobutanol pathway to convert pyruvate to isobutanol can be comprised of the following reactions:

1. 2 pyruvate→acetolactate+CO₂ 2. acetolactate+NADPH→2,3-dihydroxyisovalerate+NADP⁺ 3. 2,3-dihydroxyisovalerate→alpha-ketoisovalerate 4. alpha-ketoisovalerate→isobutyraldehyde+CO₂ 5. isobutyraldehyde+NADPH→isobutanol+NADP⁺

These reactions are carried out by the enzymes 1) Acetolactate Synthase (ALS, EC4.1.3.18), 2) Keto-acid Reducto-Isomerase (KARI, EC1.1.1.86), 3) Dihydroxy-acid dehydratase (DHAD, EC4.2.1.9), 4) Keto-isovalerate decarboxylase (KIVD, EC4.1.1.1), and 5) an Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH, EC1.1.1.1 or 1.1.1.2).

In another embodiment, the yeast microorganism is engineered to overexpress these enzymes. For example, these enzymes can be encoded by native genes. For example, ALS can be encoded by the alsS gene of B. subtilis, alsS of L. lactis, or the ilvK gene of K. pneumonia. For example, KARI can be encoded by the ilvC genes of E. coli, C. glutamicum, M. maripaludis, or Piromyces sp E2. For example, DHAD can be encoded by the ilvD genes of E. coli or C. glutamicum. KIVD can be encoded by the kivD gene of L. lactis. ADH can be encoded by ADH2, ADH6, or ADH7 of S. cerevisiae.

The yeast microorganism of the invention may be engineered to have increased ability to convert pyruvate to isobutanol. In one embodiment, the yeast microorganism may be engineered to have increased ability to convert pyruvate to isobutyraldehyde. In another embodiment, the yeast microorganism may be engineered to have increased ability to convert pyruvate to keto-isovalerate. In another embodiment, the yeast microorganism may be engineered to have increased ability to convert pyruvate to 2,3-dihydroxyisovalerate. In another embodiment, the yeast microorganism may be engineered to have increased ability to convert pyruvate to acetolactate.

Furthermore, any of the genes encoding the foregoing enzymes (or any others mentioned herein (or any of the regulatory elements that control or modulate expression thereof)) may be optimized by genetic/protein engineering techniques, such as directed evolution or rational mutagenesis, which are known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Such action allows those of ordinary skill in the art to optimize the enzymes for expression and activity in yeast.

In addition, genes encoding these enzymes can be identified from other fungal and bacterial species and can be expressed for the modulation of this pathway. A variety of organisms could serve as sources for these enzymes, including, but not limited to, Saccharomyces spp., including S. cerevisiae and S. uvarum, Kluyveromyces spp., including K. thermotolerans, K. lactis, and K. marxianus, Pichia spp., Hansenula spp., including H. polymorpha, Candida spp., Trichosporon spp., Yamadazyma spp., including Y. spp. stipitis, Torulaspora pretoriensis, Schizosaccharomyces spp., including S. pombe, Cryptococcus spp., Aspergillus spp., Neurospora spp., or Ustilago spp. Sources of genes from anaerobic fungi include, but not limited to, Piromyces spp., Orpinomyces spp., or Neocallimastix spp. Sources of prokaryotic enzymes that are useful include, but not limited to, Escherichia. coli, Zymomonas mobilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus spp., Clostridium spp., Corynebacterium spp., Pseudomonas spp., Lactococcus spp., Enterobacter spp., and Salmonella spp.

Methods in General Identification of PDC in a Yeast Microorganism

Any method can be used to identify genes that encode for enzymes with pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) activity. PDC catalyzes the decarboxylation of pyruvate to form acetaldehyde. Generally, homologous or similar PDC genes and/or homologous or similar PDC enzymes can be identified by functional, structural, and/or genetic analysis. In most cases, homologous or similar PDC genes and/or homologous or similar PDC enzymes will have functional, structural, or genetic similarities. Techniques known to those skilled in the art may be suitable to identify homologous genes and homologous enzymes. Generally, analogous genes and/or analogous enzymes can be identified by functional analysis and will have functional similarities. Techniques known to those skilled in the art may be suitable to identify analogous genes and analogous enzymes. For example, to identify homologous or analogous genes, proteins, or enzymes, techniques may include, but not limited to, cloning a PDC gene by PCR using primers based on a published sequence of a gene/enzyme or by degenerate PCR using degenerate primers designed to amplify a conserved region among PDC genes. Further, one skilled in the art can use techniques to identify homologous or analogous genes, proteins, or enzymes with functional homology or similarity. Techniques include examining a cell or cell culture for the catalytic activity of an enzyme through in vitro enzyme assays for said activity, then isolating the enzyme with said activity through purification, determining the protein sequence of the enzyme through techniques such as Edman degradation, design of PCR primers to the likely nucleic acid sequence, amplification of said DNA sequence through PCR, and cloning of said nucleic acid sequence. To identify homologous or similar genes and/or homologous or similar enzymes, analogous genes and/or analogous enzymes or proteins, techniques also include comparison of data concerning a candidate gene or enzyme with databases such as BRENDA, KEGG, or MetaCYC. The candidate gene or enzyme may be identified within the above mentioned databases in accordance with the teachings herein. Furthermore, PDC activity can be determined phenotypically. For example, ethanol production under fermentative conditions can be assessed. A lack of ethanol production may be indicative of a yeast microorganism with no PDC activity.

Genetic Insertions and Deletions

Any method can be used to introduce a nucleic acid molecule into yeast and many such methods are well known. For example, transformation and electroporation are common methods for introducing nucleic acid into yeast cells. See, e.g., Gietz et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 27:69-74 (1992); Ito et al., J. Bacterol. 153:163-168 (1983); and Becker and Guarente, Methods in Enzymology 194:182-187 (1991).

In an embodiment, the integration of a gene of interest into a DNA fragment or target gene of a yeast microorganism occurs according to the principle of homologous recombination. According to this embodiment, an integration cassette containing a module comprising at least one yeast marker gene and/or the gene to be integrated (internal module) is flanked on either side by DNA fragments homologous to those of the ends of the targeted integration site (recombinogenic sequences). After transforming the yeast with the cassette by appropriate methods, a homologous recombination between the recombinogenic sequences may result in the internal module replacing the chromosomal region in between the two sites of the genome corresponding to the recombinogenic sequences of the integration cassette. (Orr-Weaver et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 78:6354-6358 (1981))

In an embodiment, the integration cassette for integration of a gene of interest into a yeast microorganism includes the heterologous gene under the control of an appropriate promoter and terminator together with the selectable marker flanked by recombinogenic sequences for integration of a heterologous gene into the yeast chromosome. In an embodiment, the heterologous gene includes an appropriate native gene desired to increase the copy number of a native gene(s). The selectable marker gene can be any marker gene used in yeast, including but not limited to, HIS3, TRP1, LEU2, URA3, bar, ble, hph, and kan. The recombinogenic sequences can be chosen at will, depending on the desired integration site suitable for the desired application.

In another embodiment, integration of a gene into the chromosome of the yeast microorganism may occur via random integration (Kooistra, R., Hooykaas, P. J. J., Steensma, H. Y. 2004. Yeast 21: 781-792).

Additionally, in an embodiment, certain introduced marker genes are removed from the genome using techniques well known to those skilled in the art. For example, URA3 marker loss can be obtained by plating URA3 containing cells in FOA (5-fluoro-orotic acid) containing medium and selecting for FOA resistant colonies (Boeke, J. et al, 1984, Mol. Gen. Genet, 197, 345-47).

The exogenous nucleic acid molecule contained within a yeast cell of the disclosure can be maintained within that cell in any form. For example, exogenous nucleic acid molecules can be integrated into the genome of the cell or maintained in an episomal state that can stably be passed on (“inherited”) to daughter cells. Such extra-chromosomal genetic elements (such as plasmids, etc.) can additionally contain selection markers that ensure the presence of such genetic elements in daughter cells. Moreover, the yeast cells can be stably or transiently transformed. In addition, the yeast cells described herein can contain a single copy, or multiple copies of a particular exogenous nucleic acid molecule as described above.

Reduction of Enzymatic Activity

Yeast microorganisms within the scope of the invention may have reduced enzymatic activity such as reduced pyruvate decarboxylase activity. The term “reduced” as used herein with respect to a particular enzymatic activity refers to a lower level of enzymatic activity than that measured in a comparable yeast cell of the same species. The term reduced also refers to the elimination of enzymatic activity than that measured in a comparable yeast cell of the same species. Thus, yeast cells lacking pyruvate decarboxylase activity are considered to have reduced pyruvate decarboxylase activity since most, if not all, comparable yeast strains have at least some pyruvate decarboxylase activity. Such reduced enzymatic activities can be the result of lower enzyme concentration, lower specific activity of an enzyme, or a combination thereof. Many different methods can be used to make yeast having reduced enzymatic activity. For example, a yeast cell can be engineered to have a disrupted enzyme-encoding locus using common mutagenesis or knock-out technology. See, e.g., Methods in Yeast Genetics (1997 edition), Adams, Gottschling, Kaiser, and Stems, Cold Spring Harbor Press (1998). In addition, certain point-mutation(s) can be introduced which results in an enzyme with reduced activity.

Alternatively, antisense technology can be used to reduce enzymatic activity. For example, yeast can be engineered to contain a cDNA that encodes an antisense molecule that prevents an enzyme from being made. The term “antisense molecule” as used herein encompasses any nucleic acid molecule that contains sequences that correspond to the coding strand of an endogenous polypeptide. An antisense molecule also can have flanking sequences (e.g., regulatory sequences). Thus antisense molecules can be ribozymes or antisense oligonucleotides. A ribozyme can have any general structure including, without limitation, hairpin, hammerhead, or axhead structures, provided the molecule cleaves RNA.

Yeast having a reduced enzymatic activity can be identified using many methods. For example, yeast having reduced pyruvate decarboxylase activity can be easily identified using common methods, which may include, for example, measuring ethanol formation via gas chromatography.

Overexpression of Heterologous Genes

Methods for overexpressing a polypeptide from a native or heterologous nucleic acid molecule are well known. Such methods include, without limitation, constructing a nucleic acid sequence such that a regulatory element promotes the expression of a nucleic acid sequence that encodes the desired polypeptide. Typically, regulatory elements are DNA sequences that regulate the expression of other DNA sequences at the level of transcription. Thus, regulatory elements include, without limitation, promoters, enhancers, and the like. For example, the exogenous genes can be under the control of an inducible promoter or a constitutive promoter. Moreover, methods for expressing a polypeptide from an exogenous nucleic acid molecule in yeast are well known. For example, nucleic acid constructs that are used for the expression of exogenous polypeptides within Kluyveromyces and Saccharomyces are well known (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,859,596 and 4,943,529, for Kluyveromyces and, e.g., Gellissen et al., Gene 190(1):87-97 (1997) for Saccharomyces). Yeast plasmids have a selectable marker and an origin of replication. In addition certain plasmids may also contain a centromeric sequence. These centromeric plasmids are generally a single or low copy plasmid. Plasmids without a centromeric sequence and utilizing either a 2 micron (S. cerevisiae) or 1.6 micron (K. lactis) replication origin are high copy plasmids. The selectable marker can be either prototrophic, such as HIS3, TRP1, LEU2, URA3 or ADE2, or antibiotic resistance, such as, bar, ble, hph, or kan.

In another embodiment, heterologous control elements can be used to activate or repress expression of endogenous genes. Additionally, when expression is to be repressed or eliminated, the gene for the relevant enzyme, protein or RNA can be eliminated by known deletion techniques.

As described herein, any yeast within the scope of the disclosure can be identified by selection techniques specific to the particular enzyme being expressed, over-expressed or repressed. Methods of identifying the strains with the desired phenotype are well known to those skilled in the art. Such methods include, without limitation, PCR, RT-PCR, and nucleic acid hybridization techniques such as Northern and Southern analysis, altered growth capabilities on a particular substrate or in the presence of a particular substrate, a chemical compound, a selection agent and the like. In some cases, immunohistochemistry and biochemical techniques can be used to determine if a cell contains a particular nucleic acid by detecting the expression of the encoded polypeptide. For example, an antibody having specificity for an encoded enzyme can be used to determine whether or not a particular yeast cell contains that encoded enzyme. Further, biochemical techniques can be used to determine if a cell contains a particular nucleic acid molecule encoding an enzymatic polypeptide by detecting a product produced as a result of the expression of the enzymatic polypeptide. For example, transforming a cell with a vector encoding acetolactate synthase and detecting increased acetolactate concentrations compared to a cell without the vector indicates that the vector is both present and that the gene product is active. Methods for detecting specific enzymatic activities or the presence of particular products are well known to those skilled in the art. For example, the presence of acetolactate can be determined as described by Hugenholtz and Starrenburg, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 38:17-22 (1992).

Increase of Enzymatic Activity

Yeast microorganisms of the invention may be further engineered to have increased activity of enzymes. The term “increased” as used herein with respect to a particular enzymatic activity refers to a higher level of enzymatic activity than that measured in a comparable yeast cell of the same species. For example, overexpression of a specific enzyme can lead to an increased level of activity in the cells for that enzyme. Increased activities for enzymes involved in glycolysis or the isobutanol pathway would result in increased productivity and yield of isobutanol.

Methods to increase enzymatic activity are known to those skilled in the art. Such techniques may include increasing the expression of the enzyme by increased copy number and/or use of a strong promoter, introduction of mutations to relieve negative regulation of the enzyme, introduction of specific mutations to increase specific activity and/or decrease the Km for the substrate, or by directed evolution. See, e.g., Methods in Molecular Biology (vol. 231), ed. Arnold and Georgiou, Humana Press (2003).

Carbon Source

The biocatalyst herein disclosed can convert various carbon sources into isobutanol. The term “carbon source” generally refers to a substance suitable to be used as a source of carbon for prokaryotic or eukaryotic cell growth. Carbon sources include, but are not limited to, biomass hydrolysates, starch, sucrose, cellulose, hemicellulose, xylose, and lignin, as well as monomeric components of these substrates. Carbon sources can comprise various organic compounds in various forms, including, but not limited to polymers, carbohydrates, acids, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, amino acids, peptides, etc. These include, for example, various monosaccharides such as glucose, dextrose (D-glucose), maltose, oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, saturated or unsaturated fatty acids, succinate, lactate, acetate, ethanol, etc., or mixtures thereof. Photosynthetic organisms can additionally produce a carbon source as a product of photosynthesis. In some embodiments, carbon sources may be selected from biomass hydrolysates and glucose.

The term “C2-compound” as used as a carbon source for engineered yeast microorganisms with mutations in all pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) genes resulting in a reduction of pyruvate decarboxylase activity of said genes refers to organic compounds comprised of two carbon atoms, including but not limited to ethanol and acetate.

The term “feedstock” is defined as a raw material or mixture of raw materials supplied to a microorganism or fermentation process from which other products can be made. For example, a carbon source, such as biomass or the carbon compounds derived from biomass are a feedstock for a microorganism that produces a biofuel in a fermentation process. However, a feedstock may contain nutrients other than a carbon source.

The term “traditional carbohydrates” refers to sugars and starches generated from specialized plants, such as sugar cane, corn, and wheat. Frequently, these specialized plants concentrate sugars and starches in portions of the plant, such as grains, that are harvested and processed to extract the sugars and starches. Traditional carbohydrates are used as food and also to a lesser extent as carbon sources for fermentation processes to generate biofuels, such as and chemicals.

The term “biomass” as used herein refers primarily to the stems, leaves, and starch-containing portions of green plants, and is mainly comprised of starch, lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, and/or pectin. Biomass can be decomposed by either chemical or enzymatic treatment to the monomeric sugars and phenols of which it is composed (Wyman, C. E. 2003 Biotechnological Progress 19:254-62). This resulting material, called biomass hydrolysate, is neutralized and treated to remove trace amounts of organic material that may adversely affect the biocatalyst, and is then used as a feed stock for fermentations using a biocatalyst.

The term “starch” as used herein refers to a polymer of glucose readily hydrolyzed by digestive enzymes. Starch is usually concentrated in specialized portions of plants, such as potatoes, corn kernels, rice grains, wheat grains, and sugar cane stems.

The term “lignin” as used herein refers to a polymer material, mainly composed of linked phenolic monomeric compounds, such as p-coumaryl alcohol, coniferyl alcohol, and sinapyl alcohol, which forms the basis of structural rigidity in plants and is frequently referred to as the woody portion of plants. Lignin is also considered to be the non-carbohydrate portion of the cell wall of plants.

The term “cellulose” as used herein refers is a long-chain polymer polysaccharide carbohydrate of beta-glucose of formula (C6H10O5)n, usually found in plant cell walls in combination with lignin and any hemicellulose.

The term “hemicellulose” refers to a class of plant cell-wall polysaccharides that can be any of several heteropolymers. These include xylane, xyloglucan, arabinoxylan, arabinogalactan, glucuronoxylan, glucomannan and galactomannan. Monomeric components of hemicellulose include, but are not limited to: D-galactose, L-galactose, D-mannose, L-rhamnose, L-fucose, D-xylose, L-arabinose, and D-glucuronic acid. This class of polysaccharides is found in almost all cell walls along with cellulose. Hemicellulose is lower in weight than cellulose and cannot be extracted by hot water or chelating agents, but can be extracted by aqueous alkali. Polymeric chains of hemicellulose bind pectin and cellulose in a network of cross-linked fibers forming the cell walls of most plant cells.

Microorganism Characterized by Producing Isobutanol at High Yield

For a biocatalyst to produce isobutanol most economically, it is desired to produce a high yield. Preferably, the only product produced is isobutanol. Extra products lead to a reduction in product yield and an increase in capital and operating costs, particularly if the extra products have little or no value. Extra products also require additional capital and operating costs to separate these products from isobutanol.

The microorganism may convert one or more carbon sources derived from biomass into isobutanol with a yield of greater than 5% of theoretical. In one embodiment, the yield is greater than 10%. In one embodiment, the yield is greater than 50% of theoretical. In one embodiment, the yield is greater than 60% of theoretical. In another embodiment, the yield is greater than 70% of theoretical. In yet another embodiment, the yield is greater than 80% of theoretical. In yet another embodiment, the yield is greater than 85% of theoretical. In yet another embodiment, the yield is greater than 90% of theoretical. In yet another embodiment, the yield is greater than 95% of theoretical. In still another embodiment, the yield is greater than 97.5% of theoretical.

More specifically, the microorganism converts glucose, which can be derived from biomass into isobutanol with a yield of greater than 5% of theoretical. In one embodiment, the yield is greater than 10% of theoretical. In one embodiment, the yield is greater than 50% of theoretical. In one embodiment the yield is greater than 60% of theoretical. In another embodiment, the yield is greater than 70% of theoretical. In yet another embodiment, the yield is greater than 80% of theoretical. In yet another embodiment, the yield is greater than 85% of theoretical. In yet another embodiment the yield is greater than 90% of theoretical. In yet another embodiment, the yield is greater than 95% of theoretical. In still another embodiment, the yield is greater than 97.5% of theoretical

Microorganism Characterized by Production of Isobutanol from Pyruvate Via an Overexpressed Isobutanol Pathway and a PDC-Minus Phenotype

In yeast, the conversion of pyruvate to acetaldehyde is a major drain on the pyruvate pool (FIG. 2A), and, hence, a major source of competition with the isobutanol pathway. This reaction is catalyzed by the pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) enzyme. Reduction of this enzymatic activity in the yeast microorganism results in an increased availability of pyruvate and reducing equivalents to the isobutanol pathway and may improve isobutanol production and yield in a yeast microorganism that expresses a pyruvate-dependent isobutanol pathway (FIG. 2B).

Reduction of PDC activity can be accomplished by 1) mutation or deletion of a positive transcriptional regulator for the structural genes encoding for PDC or 2) mutation or deletion of all PDC genes in a given organism. The term “transcriptional regulator” can specify a protein or nucleic acid that works in trans to increase or to decrease the transcription of a different locus in the genome. For example, in S. cerevisiae, the PDC2 gene, which encodes for a positive transcriptional regulator of PDC1,5,6 genes can be deleted; a S. cerevisiae in which the PDC2 gene is deleted is reported to have only ˜10% of wildtype PDC activity (Hohmann, Mol Gen Genet, 241:657-666 (1993)). Alternatively, for example, all structural genes for PDC (e.g. in S. cerevisiae, PDC1, PDC5, and PDC6, or in K. lactis, PDC1) are deleted.

Crabtree-positive yeast strains such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain that contains disruptions in all three of the PDC alleles no longer produce ethanol by fermentation. However, a downstream product of the reaction catalyzed by PDC, acetyl-CoA, is needed for anabolic production of necessary molecules. Therefore, the Pdc-mutant is unable to grow solely on glucose, and requires a two-carbon carbon source, either ethanol or acetate, to synthesize acetyl-CoA. (Flikweert M T, de Swaaf M, van Dijken J P, Pronk J T. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1999 May 1; 174(1):73-9. PMID:10234824 and van Maris A J, Geertman J M, Vermeulen A, Groothuizen M K, Winkler A A, Piper M D, van Dijken J P, Pronk J T. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2004 January; 70(1):159-66. PMID: 14711638).

Thus, in an embodiment, such a Crabtree-positive yeast strain may be evolved to generate variants of the PDC mutant yeast that do not have the requirement for a two-carbon molecule and has a growth rate similar to wild type on glucose. Any method, including chemostat evolution or serial dilution may be utilized to generate variants of strains with deletion of three PDC alleles that can grow on glucose as the sole carbon source at a rate similar to wild type (van Maris et al., Directed Evolution of Pyruvate Decarboxylase-Negative Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Yielding a C2-Independent, Glucose-Tolerant, and Pyruvate-Hyperproducing Yeast, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2004, 70(1), 159-166).

Method of Using Microorganism for High-Yield Isobutanol Fermentation

In a method to produce isobutanol from a carbon source at high yield, the yeast microorganism is cultured in an appropriate culture medium containing a carbon source.

Another exemplary embodiment provides a method for producing isobutanol comprising a recombinant yeast microorganism of the invention in a suitable culture medium containing a carbon source that can be converted to isobutanol by the yeast microorganism of the invention.

In certain embodiments, the method further includes isolating isobutanol from the culture medium. For example, isobutanol may be isolated from the culture medium by any method known to those skilled in the art, such as distillation, pervaporation, or liquid-liquid extraction.

EXAMPLES General Methods

Sample preparation: Samples (2 mL) from the fermentation broth were stored at −20° C. for later substrate and product analysis. Prior to analysis, samples were thawed and then centrifuged at 14,000×g for 10 min. The supernatant was filtered through a 0.2 μm filter. Analysis of substrates and products was performed using authentic standards (>99%, obtained from Sigma-Aldrich), and a 5-point calibration curve (with 1-pentanol as an internal standard for analysis by gas chromatography).

Determination of optical density and cell dry weight: The optical density of the yeast cultures was determined at 600 nm using a DU 800 spectrophotometer (Beckman-Coulter, Fullerton, Calif., USA). Samples were diluted as necessary to yield an optical density of between 0.1 and 0.8. The cell dry weight was determined by centrifuging 50 mL of culture prior to decanting the supernatant. The cell pellet was washed once with 50 mL of milliQ H₂O, centrifuged and the pellet was washed again with 25 mL of milliQ H₂O. The cell pellet was then dried at 80° C. for at least 72 hours. The cell dry weight was calculated by subtracting the weight of the centrifuge tube from the weight of the centrifuge tube containing the dried cell pellet.

Gas Chromatography: Analysis of ethanol and isobutanol was performed on a HP 5890 gas chromatograph fitted with a DB-FFAP column (Agilent Technologies; 30 m length, 0.32 mm ID, 0.25 μM film thickness) or equivalent connected to a flame ionization detector (FID). The temperature program was as follows: 200° C. for the injector, 300° C. for the detector, 100° C. oven for 1 minute, 70° C./minute gradient to 235° C., and then hold for 2.5 min.

High Performance Liquid Chromatography: Analysis of glucose and organic acids was performed on a HP-1100 High Performance Liquid Chromatography system equipped with a Aminex HPX-87H Ion Exclusion column (Bio-Rad, 300×7.8 mm) or equivalent and an H⁺ cation guard column (Bio-Rad) or equivalent. Organic acids were detected using an HP-1100 UV detector (210 nm, 8 nm 360 nm reference) while glucose was detected using an HP-1100 refractive index detector. The column temperature was 60° C. This method was Isocratic with 0.008N sulfuric acid in water as mobile phase. Flow was set at 0.6 mL/min. Injection size was 20 μL and the run time was 30 minutes.

Anaerobic batch fermentations: Anaerobic batch cultivations were performed at 30° C. in stoppered 100 mL serum bottles. A total of 20 mL of synthetic medium with an initial glucose concentration of 20 g-glucose L⁻¹ was used (Kaiser et al., Methods in Yeast Genetics, a Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Manual (1994)). 2 mL samples are taken at 24 and 48 hours. The fermentation is ended after 48 hours or when all glucose is consumed. Samples are processed and analyzed by Gas Chromatography and/or High Performance Liquid Chromatography as described above.

Yeast transformations—K. lactis: Transformations were performed by electroporation according to Kooistra et al., Yeast 21:781-792 (2004).

Lithium Acetate transformations of S. cerevisiae: Strains were transformed by the Lithium Acetate method (Gietz et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 27:69-74 (1992). Cells were collected from overnight cultures grown in 50 mL of defined (SC) ethanol media at an OD₆₀₀ of approximately 0.8 to 1.0 by centrifugation at 2700 rcf for 2 minutes at room temperature. The cell pellet was resuspended in 50 mL sterile water, collected by centrifugation (2700 rcf; 2 min; room temp.), and resuspended in 25 mL sterile water. The cells were collected by centrifugation (2700 rcf; 2 min; room temp.) and resuspended in 1 mL 100 mM lithium acetate. The cell suspension was transferred to a sterile 1.5 mL tube and collected by centrifugation at full speed for 10 seconds. The cells were resuspended in 100 mM lithium acetate with a volume four times the volume of the cell pellet (e.g. 400 μL for 100 μL cell pellet). To the prepared DNA Mix (72 μl 50% PEG, 10 μl 1M Lithium Acetate, 3 μl boiled salmon sperm DNA, and 5 μl of each plasmid), 15 μl of the cell suspension was added and mixed by vortexing with five short pulses. The cell/DNA suspensions were incubated at 30° C. for 30 minutes and at 42° C. for 22 minutes. The cells were collected by centrifugation for 10 seconds at full speed and resuspended in 100 μl SOS (1M Sorbitol, 0.34% (w/v) Yeast Extract, 0.68% (w/v) Peptone, 6.5 mM CaCl). The cell suspensions were top spread over appropriate selective agar plates.

Yeast colony PCR: Yeast cells were taken from agar medium and transferred to 30 μl 0.2% SDS and heated for 4 mins at 90° C. The cells were spun down and 1 μl of the supernatant was used for PCR using standard Tag (NEB).

Molecular biology: Standard molecular biology methods for cloning and plasmid construction were generally used, unless otherwise noted (Sambrook & Russell).

Media:

YP: contains 1% (w/v) yeast extract, 2% (w/v) peptone. YPD is YP containing 2% (w/v) glucose, YPE is YP containing 2% (w/v) Ethanol.

SC+Complete: 20 g/L glucose, 14 g/L Sigma™ Synthetic Dropout Media supplement (includes amino acids and nutrients excluding histidine, tryptophan, uracil, and leucine), and 6.7 g/L Difco™ Yeast Nitrogen Base. 0.076 g/L histidine, 0.076 g/L tryptophan, 0.380 g/L leucine, and 0.076 g/L uracil.

SC-HWUL: 20 g/L glucose, 14 g/L Sigma™ Synthetic Dropout Media supplement (includes amino acids and nutrients excluding histidine, tryptophan, uracil, and leucine), and 6.7 g/L Difco™ Yeast Nitrogen Base.

SC-WLU: 20 g/L glucose, 14 g/L Sigma™ Synthetic Dropout Media supplement (includes amino acids and nutrients excluding histidine, tryptophan, uracil, and leucine), 6.7 g/L Difco™ Yeast Nitrogen Base without amino acids, and 0.076 g/L histidine.

SC-HWU: 20 g/L glucose, 14 g/L Sigma™ Synthetic Dropout Media supplement (includes amino acids and nutrients excluding histidine, tryptophan, uracil, and leucine), 6.7 g/L Difco™ Yeast Nitrogen Base without amino acids, and 0.380 g/L leucine.

SC-Ethanol-HWU: 2% (w/v) ethanol, 14 g/L Sigma™ Synthetic Dropout Media supplement (includes amino acids and nutrients excluding histidine, tryptophan, uracil, and leucine), 6.7 g/L Difco™ Yeast Nitrogen Base, and 0.380 g/L leucine.

Solid versions of the above described media contain 2% (w/v) agar.

Strains, Plasmids and Primer Sequences

Table 1 details the genotype of strains disclosed herein:

GEVO No. Genotype and/or Reference GEVO1187 S. cerevisiae CEN.PK MAT a ho his3-leu2 trp1 ura3 PDC1 PDC5 PDC6 GEVO1188 S. cerevisiae CEN.PK MAT alpha ho his3-leu2 trp1 ura3 PDC1 PDC5 PDC6 GEVO1287¹ K. lactis MATα uraA1 trp1 leur2 lysA1 ade1 lac4-8 [pKD1] (ATCC #87365) GEVO1537² S. cerevisiae HO/HO pdc1::Tn5ble/pdc1::Tn5ble pdc5::Tn5ble/pdc5::Tn5ble pdc6::APT1/pdc6::APT1 HIS3/HIS, LEU2/LEU2, URA3/URA3, TRP1/TRP1 Gevo1538 S. cerevisiae MAT a/α, HIS3, LEU2, TRP1, URA3, pdc1::ble/pdc1::ble, pdc5::ble/pdc5::ble, pdc6::apt1(kanR)/ pdc6::apt1(kanR), HO/HO GEVO1581 S. cerevisiae MAT a/alpha, his3/his3, trp1/trp1, ura3/ura3, LEU2/LEU2, pdc1::ble/pdc1::ble, pdc5::ble/ pdc5::ble, pdc6::apt1(kanR)/pdc6::apt1(kanR), HO/HO Gevo1715 S. cerevisiae MAT a, leu2, ura3, pdc1::ble, pdc5::ble, pdc6::apt1(kanR), ho GEVO1584 S. cerevisiae MAT a, his3, trp1, ura3, leu2, pdc1::ble, pdc5::ble, pdc6::apt1(kanR), ho- GEVO1742 K. lactis MATα uraA1 trp1 leur2 lysA1 ade1 lac4-8 [pKD1] Klpdc1Δ::pGV1537 (G418^(R))] GEVO1794 K. lactis MATalpha uraA1 trp1 leu2 lysA1 ade1 lac4-8 [pKD1] pdc1::kan {Ll-kivd; Sc-Adh7:KmURA3 integrated} GEVO1818 K. lactis MATalpha uraA1 trp1 leu2 lysA1 ade1 lac4-8 [pKD1] pdc1::kan {Ec-ilvC-deltaN; Ec-ilvD-deltaN(codon opt for K. lactis):Sc-LEU2 integrated} {Ll-kivd; Sc- Adh7:KmURA3 integrated) GEVO1829 K. lactis MATalpha uraA1 trp1 leu2 lysA1 ade1 lac4-8 [pKD1] pdc1::kan {Ec-ilvC-deltaN; Ec-ilvD-deltaN(codon opt for K. lactis):Sc-LEU2 integrated} {Ll-kivd; Sc- Adh7:KmURA3 integrated} {ScCUP1-1 promoter:Bs alsS, TRP1 random integrated} Gevo1863 S. cerevisiae MAT a, his3, trp1, ura3, leu2, pdc1::ble, pdc5::ble, pdc6::apt1(kanR), ho-, chemostat-evolved to be C2-independent. ¹same as ATCC200826 ²The strains Gevo1537 and Gevo1538 were originally designated GG570 (derived from strain T2-3D) and was obtained from Paul van Heusden from the University of Leiden, the Netherlands. For complete references for both strains, see: Flikweert, M.T. et al., (1996) Yeast 12: 247-257.

Table 2 outlines the plasmids disclosed herein:

GEVO No. FIG. Genotype or Reference pGV1056 21 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TDH3 promoter - polylinker - CYC1 terminator CEN6/ARSH4 HIS3 pUC ori pGV1062 22 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TDH3 promoter - polylinker - CYC1 terminator CEN6/ARSH4 URA3 pUC ori pGV1102 23 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TEF1 promoter - HA tag - polylinker - CYC1 terminator 2micron URA3 pUC ori pGV1103 24 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TDH3 promoter - myc tag - polylinker - CYC1 terminator 2micron HIS3 pUC ori pGV1104 25 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TDH3 promoter - myc tag - polylinker - CYC1 terminator 2micron TRP1 pUC ori pGV1106 26 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TDH3 promoter - myc tag - polylinker - CYC1 terminator 2micron URA3 pUC ori pGV1254 14 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TEF1 promoter - HA-L.l. KIVD - S.c. TDH3 promoter - myc-S.c. ADH2 - CYC1 terminator 2micron URA3 pUC ori pGV1295 15 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TDH3 promoter - myc-ilvC - CYC1 terminator 2micron TRP1 pUC ori pGV1390 16 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. CUP1-1 promoter - L.l. alsS - CYC1 terminator 2micron HIS3 pUC ori pGV1438 17 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TDH3 promoter - myc-ilvD - CYC1 terminator 2micron LEU2 pUC ori pGV1503 6 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TEF1 promoter - KanR pUC ori pGV1537 7 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TEF1 promoter - KanR pUC ori K. lactis PDC1 5′ region - Pm/I - K. lactis PDC1 3′ region pGV1429 8 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TDH3 promoter - myc tag- polylinker -CYC1 terminator 1.6micron TRP1 pUC ori pGV1430 9 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TDH3 promoter - myc tag- polylinker -CYC1 terminator 1.6micron LEU2 pUC ori pGV1431 10 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TDH3 promoter - myc tag- polylinker -CYC1 terminator 1.6micron K.m. URA3 pUC ori pGV1472 11 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TEF1 promoter - AU1(x2)-L.l. alsS - CYC1 terminator 1.6micron LEU2 pUC ori pGV1473 12 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TEF1 promoter - AU1(x2)-E.c. ilvD - S.c. TDH3 promoter - myc- E.c. ilvC - CYC1 terminator 1.6micron TRP1 pUC ori pGV1475 13 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TEF1 promoter - HA-L.l. KIVD - S.c. TDH3 promoter - myc-S.c. ADH7 - CYC1 terminator 1.6micron K.m. URA3 pUC ori pGV1590 18 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TEF1 promoter - L.l. KIVD - S.c. TDH3 promoter - S.c. ADH7 - CYC1 terminator 1.6micron K.m. URA3 pUC ori pGV1726 19 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. CUP1-1 promoter - B.s. alsS - CYC1 terminator TRP1 pUC ori pGV1727 20 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TEF1 promoter - E.c. ilvD deltaN - S.c. TDH3 promoter - E.c. ilvC deltaN - CYC1 terminator LEU2 pUC ori pGV1649 27 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. CUP1-1 promoter - B.s. alsS - CYC1 terminator 2micron TRP1 pUC ori pGV1664 28 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TEF1 promoter - L.l. KIVD - S.c. TDH3 promoter - S.c. ADH7 - CYC1 terminator 2micron URA3 pUC ori pGV1672 29 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. CUP1-1 promoter- polylinker -CYC1 terminator CEN6/ARSH4 TRP1 pUC ori pGV1673 30 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. CUP1-1 promoter - B.s. alsS - CYC1 terminator CEN6/ARSH4 TRP1 pUC ori pGV1677 31 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TEF1 promoter - E.c. ilvD deltaN - S.c. TDH3 promoter - E.c. ilvC deltaN - CYC1 terminator 2micron HIS3 pUC ori pGV1679 32 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TEF1 promoter - E.c. ilvD deltaN - S.c. TDH3 promoter - E.c. ilvC deltaN - CYC1 terminator CEN6/ARSH4 HIS3 pUC ori pGV1683 33 bla(amp^(r)) S.c. TEF1 promoter - L.l. KIVD - S.c. TDH3 promoter - S.c. ADH7 - CYC1 terminator CEN6/ARSH4 URA3 pUC ori Table 3 outlines the primers sequences disclosed herein:

No. Name SEQ ID NO: Sequence 489 MAT common 30 AGTCACATCAAGATCGTTTATGG 490 MAT alpha 31 GCACGGAATATGGGACTACTTCG 491 MAT a 32 ACTCCACTTCAAGTAAGAGTTTG 838 pGV1423-seq1 (838) 33 TATTGTCTCATGAGCGGATAC 965 KlPDC1 −616 FOR 34 ACAACGAGTGTCATGGGGAGAGG AAGAGG 966 KlPDC1 +2528 REV 35 GATCTTCGGCTGGGTCATGTGAG GCGG 995 KlPDC1 internal 36 ACGCTGAACACGTTGGTGTCTTGC 996 KlPDC1 internal 37 AACCCTTAGCAGCATCGGCAACC 1010 Kl-PDC1-prom-seq-c 38 TATTCATGGGCCAATACTACG 1006 Kl-PDC1-prom-3c 39 GTAGAAGACGTCACCTGGTAGACC AAAGATG 1009 Kl-PDC1-term-5c 40 CATCGTGACGTCGCTCAATTGACT GCTGCTAC 1016 Kl-PDC1-prom-5-v2  41 ACTAAGCGACACGTGCGGTTTCTG (1016) TGGTATAG 1017 Kl-PDC1-term-3c-v2  42 GAAACCGCACGTGTCGCTTAGTTT (1017) ACATTTCTTTCC 1019 TEF1prom-5c (1019) 43 TTTGAAGTGGTACGGCGATG 1321 Bs-alsS-Q-A5 (1321) 44 AATCATATCGAACACGATGC 1324 Bs-alsS-Q-B3 (1324) 45 AGCTGGTCTGGTGATTCTAC 1325 Ec-ilvC-dN-Q-A5 (1325) 46 TATCACCGTAGTGATGGTTG 1328 Ec-ilvC-dN-Q-B3 (1328) 47 GTCAGCAGTTTCTTATCATCG 1330 Ec-ilvD-dN-co-Kl-Q-A3 48 GCGAAACTTACTTGACGTTC (1330) 1331 Ec-ilvD-dN-co-Kl-Q-B5 49 ACTTTGGACGATGATAGAGC (1331) 1334 Ll-kivd-co-Ec-Q-A3  50 GCGTTAGATGGTACGAAATC (1334) 1335 Ll-kivd-co-Ec-Q-B5  51 CTTCTAACACTAGCGACCAG (1335) 1338 Sc-ADH7-Q-A3 (1338) 52 AAAGATGATGAGCAAACGAC 1339 Sc-ADH7-Q-B5 (1339) 53 CGAGCAATACTGTACCAATG 1375 HO +1300 F 54 TCACGGATGATTTCCAGGGT 1376 HO +1761 R 55 CACCTGCGTTGTTACCACAA

Example 1 Construction and Confirmation of PDC Deletion in K. Lactis

The purpose of this Example is to describe how a PDC-deletion variant of a member of the Saccharomyces clade, Crabtree-negative yeast, pre-WGD yeast K. lactis was constructed and confirmed.

Construction of plasmid pGV1537: Plasmid pGV1537 (SEQ ID NO: 1) was constructed by the following series of steps. All PCR reactions carried out to generate pGV1537 used KOD polymerase (Novagen, Inc., Gibbstown, N.J.) and standard reaction conditions according to the manufacturer. A first round of two PCR reactions was carried out, wherein one PCR reaction contained primers 1006 and 1016 and used approximately 100 ng of genomic DNA from K. lactis strain GEVO1287 as a template. The other first-round PCR reaction contained primers 1017 and 1009 and approximately 100 ng of genomic DNA from K. lactis strain GEVO1287 as a template. The two resulting PCR products (approximately 530 bp and 630 bp in size, respectively) were gel purified using a Zymo Research Gel DNA Extraction kit (Zymo Research, Orange, Calif.) according to manufacturer's instructions and eluted into 10 μL of water. Two (2) microliters of each eluted PCR product were then used as a template for a final round of KOD polymerase-catalyzed PCR, which also included primers 1006 plus 1009. The resulting product was purified (Zymo Research DNA Clean & Concentrate kit, Zymo Research, Orange, Calif.), digested to completion with the enzymes MfeI and AatII, and the resulting product gel purified and eluted as described above. This DNA was ligated into the vector pGV1503 (FIG. 6), which had been digested with EcoRI plus AatII, treated with calf alkaline phosphatase, and gel purified as described above. Colonies arising from transformation of the ligated DNA were screened by restriction digest analysis and confirmed by DNA sequencing reactions using primers 838, 1010, and 1019. Correct recombinant DNA resulting from the ligation and subsequent analysis was named pGV1537 (FIG. 7).

Construction of a K. lactis Klpdc1Δ strain: Strain GEVO1287 was transformed with PmlI-digested, linearized plasmid pGV1537. Transformation was carried out by electroporation with approximately 300 ng of linearized pGV1537, essentially as described by Kooistra et al. (Kooistra, R., Hooykaas, P. J. J., and Steensman, H. Y. (2004) “Efficient gene targeting in Kluyveromyces lactis”. Yeast 21:781-792). Transformed cells were selected by plating onto YPD plates containing 0.2 mg/mL geneticin (G418). Colonies arising from the transformation were further selected by patching colonies onto YPD plates and then replica plating onto YPD containing 5 μM (final concentration) of the respiratory inhibitor Antimycin A, as Pdc-variants of K. lactis are unable to grow on glucose in the presence of Antimycin A (Bianchi, M., et al., (1996). “The ‘petite negative yeast Kluyveromyces lactis has a single gene expressing pyruvate decarboxylase activity”. Molecular Microbiology 19(1):27-36) and can therefore be identified by this method. Of the 83 G418-resistant colonies patched onto YPD+Antimycin A, six colonies (˜7%) were unable to grow and were therefore identified as candidate Klpdc1::pGV1537 disruption strains.

Confirmation of a K. lactis Klpdc1Δ strain by colony PCR: Candidate Klpdc1::pGV1537 disruption strains were confirmed by colony PCR analysis. To do so, genomic DNA from candidate lines was obtained by the following method. A small amount (equivalent to a matchhead) of yeast cells were resuspended in 50 μL of 0.2% SDS and heated to 95° C. for 6 minutes. The suspension was pelleted by centrifugation (30 sec, 16,000×g) and 1 μL of the supernatant was used as template in 50 μL PCR reactions. In addition to standard components, the reactions contained Triton X-100 at a final concentration of 1.5% and DMSO at a final concentration of 5%. The various primer sets used, and the expected amplicon sizes expected, are indicated in Table EX1-1. By these analyses, a correct Klpdc1Δ::pGV1537 strain was identified and was named GEVO1742.

TABLE EX1-1 Primer pairs and expected amplicon sizes predicted for colony PCR screening of candidate Klpdc1Δ::pGV1537 cells. Expected product size for Expected product size Primer Pair Klpdc1Δ::pGV1537 for KlPDC1+ 965 & 838 796 bp (none) 1019 & 966  947 bp (none) 995 & 996 (none) 765 bp

Confirmation of GEVO1742 Klpdc1Δ::pGV1537 by fermentation: Strains of K. lactis lacking KlPdc1p (Klpdc1Δ) have been shown to produce significantly lower levels of ethanol when grown on glucose (Bianchi, M., et al., (1996). “The ‘petite negative yeast Kluyveromyces lactis has a single gene expressing pyruvate decarboxylase activity”. Molecular Microbiology 19(1):27-36). To confirm this phenotype, fermentations with strains GEVO1287 and GEVO1742 were carried out. Briefly, a saturated overnight (3 mL) culture of each strain grown in YPD was inoculated into 25 mL of YPD at a starting OD₆₀₀ of 0.1 and grown aerobically in a loosely-capped flask in a shaker for 24 hours at 30° C., 250 rpm. Following growth, 2 mL of culture were collected, the cells pelleted by centrifugation (5 minutes, 14,000×g) and the supernatant subjected to analysis by gas chromatography and liquid chromatography. A summary of the data from these analyses is summarized in Table EX1-2. The strongly diminished production of ethanol and the increased accumulation of pyruvate in the fermentation medium are characteristic of K. lactis strains in which PDC1 has been deleted. Thus, these observations confirm the molecular genetic conclusions that strain GEVO1742 is in fact Klpdc1Δ.

TABLE EX1-2 Ethanol and pyruvate produced and glucose consumed in aerobic fermentations of GEVO1287 and GEVO1742. Ethanol Pyruvate produced Glucose consumed STRAIN produced (g/L) (g/L) (g/L) GEVO1287 8.129 (not detected) 17.56 GEVO1742 0.386 1.99 5.25

Example 2 Construction and Confirmation of PDC Deletion in S. cerevisiae

The purpose of this Example is to describe how a PDC deletion variant of a member of the Saccharomyces sensu stricto yeast group, the Saccharomyces yeast clade, a Crabtree-positive yeast, and a post-WGD yeast, S. cerevisiae was constructed and confirmed.

Strains GEVO1537 and GEVO1538 were incubated in 1% potassium acetate for 3-4 days which induces sporulation. The resulting haploid spores were recovered by random spore analysis. Briefly, a culture of sporulating cells was examined microscopically to ensure that a sufficient fraction of cells had sporulated (>10%). Five (5) mL of a culture of sporulated cells were collected by centrifugation (5 minutes at 3000×g) and washed once in 1 mL of water. The cells were resuspended in 5 mL water to which was added 0.5 mL of a 1 mg/mL solution (freshly made) of Zymolyase-T (in water) as well as 10 μL of β-mercaptoethanol. The cell suspension was incubated overnight at 30° C. in a shaker at 50 rpm. Five mL of 1.5% Triton X-100 were added and the mixture was incubated on ice for 15 minutes. The solution was sonicated three times for 30 seconds per cycle at 50% power, with 2 minutes rest on ice in between sonication cycles. The suspension was centrifuged (1200×g, 5 minutes) and washed twice with 5 mL of water. The final cell pellet was resuspended in 1 mL water and cells were plated to YP+2% EtOH.

Following this procedure, the separate individual spores, were plated onto solid medium to obtain colonies, all of genotype HO pdc1::Tn5ble pdc5::Tn5ble pdc6:APT1 HIS3 LEU2 TRP1 URA3 and of unknown mating type. Some fraction of the cells were (homozygous) diploid due to the HO+ gene status and resultant mating type switching and re-mating to form diploids.

The genotype of the mating type locus of the putative Pdc-minus colonies was confirmed by PCR using Taq DNA polymerase (New England BioLabs, Ipswich, Mass.) under standard conditions using primers specific for the MAT a locus (primers #489 and #491) or MAT a locus (primers #490 and #491). Colonies that generated a single PCR product with one of the two possible primer sets primer set and no product when tested with the other were putative haploid Pdc-minus strains. To confirm the mating type, such strains were crossed to Gevo1187 and Gevo1188 (CEN.PK). Resulting diploid progeny were selected on medium containing glucose (to select for the presence of PDC+ genes introduced by CEN.PK background) and also lacking at least one of the following nutrients: histidine, leucine, tryptophan, or uracil (to select for the appropriate prototrophy as provided by the wild-type allele of the corresponding gene from the Gevo1537 or GEVO1538 background.

Diploid cells were sporulated and germinated on agar plates containing YP+2% ethanol (to permit growth of Pdc-minus isolates). To identify Pdc-minus candidates, viable colonies were streaked on to YPD agar plates and colonies that were inviable on glucose were isolated. Inability to grow on glucose confirms that these candidates are pdc1::ble and pdc5::ble. The pdc6::apt1 was confirmed their ability to grow on YP+Ethanol plates containing the antibiotic G418. The genotype of the mating type locus of the putative Pdc-minus colonies was confirmed by PCR using Taq DNA polymerase (New England BioLabs, Ipswich, Mass.) under standard conditions using primers specific for the MAT a locus (primers #489 and #491) or MAT a locus (primers #490 and #491). The presence of a product from both sets of PCR reactions indicated that both mating type alleles were present in the population, as a consequence of mating type allele switching by an active HO-encoded enzyme. The presence of a PCR product for one set of MAT locus-specific primers but not the other indicated that the strain lacks this activity and was therefore ho-. Based upon these analyses, six candidates colonies were identified as ho-strains and one candidate #4 was HO.

These Pdc-minus strains were streaked to SC+Ethanol plates lacking one of: leucine, histidine, tryptophan, or uracil, to determine presence of auxotrophic mutations within these strains. One Pdc-minus strain, GEVO1581, was auxotrophic for histidine, uracil, and tryptophan, and thus carried three of the makers (his3, ura3, and trp1). Another Pdc-minus strain, GEVO1715, was auxotrophic for uracil and leucine and thus carried the two markers, ura3 and leu2.

GEVO1581 and GEVO1715 were screened by RFLP analysis to verify the presence of the ho allele. A 447 bp portion of the HO locus was amplified by PCR that contained the codon that is altered in the ho allele (H475L) using primers 1375 and 1376. This mutation introduces an AluI restriction site, and consequently, digestion with AluI (New England BioLabs, Ipswich, Mass.) yielded either a 447 bp fragment (HO) or a 122 bp fragment plus a 325 bp fragment (ho). Based upon RFLP analysis, GEVO1581 was HO and GEVO1715 was ho.

To obtain a Pdc-minus strain with all four auxotrophic markers, GEVO1715 was crossed to GEVO1188 and diploids generated as described above. The resulting diploid was sporulated and Pdc-minus candidates were isolated by plating onto YP-Ethanol containing both Phleomycin and G418. These candidiates were then streaked onto YPD agar plates and tested for their inviability on glucose. Those that did not grow on glucose were isolated as this phenotype, in addition to their resistance to Phleomycin and G418 confirms that these candidates are pdc1::ble, pdc5::ble and pdc6::apt1. These isolates were streaked to SC+Ethanol plates lacking one of: leucine, histidine, tryptophan, or uracil, to determine presence of auxotrophic mutations within these strains. One of these Pdc-minus strains, GEVO1584, was auxotrophic for histidine, uracil, tryptophan and leucine and thus carried all four markers, his3, ura3, trp1, and leu2. GEVO1584 was also confirmed to be MATa and ho by colony PCR and RFLP analysis, respectively, as described above.

TABLE EX2-1 Summary table of S. cerevisiae Pdc-minus strains obtained GEVO No. GENOTYPE STRAIN SOURCE 1537 MAT a/α, HIS3, LEU2, TRP1, URA3, Strain GG570 from pdc1::ble/pdc1::ble, pdc5::ble/pdc5::ble, Paul van Heusden, pdc6::apt1(kanR)/pdc6::apt1(kanR), Univ. of Leiden, HO/HO Netherlands 1538 MAT a/α, HIS3, LEU2, TRP1, URA3, Strain GG570 from pdc1::ble/pdc1::ble, pdc5::ble/pdc5::ble, Paul van Heusden, pdc6::apt1(kanR)/pdc6::apt1(kanR), Univ. of Leiden, HO/HO Netherlands 1581 MAT a/α, his3/his3, trp1/trp1, ura3/ candidate #4 ura3, LEU2/LEU2, pdc1::ble/pdc1::ble, GEVO1537x pdc5::ble/pdc5::ble, GEVO1187 pdc6::apt1(kanR)/pdc6::apt1(kanR), HO/HO 1584 MAT a, his3, trp1, ura3, leu2, pdc1::ble, candidate #201 pdc5::ble, pdc6::apt1(kanR), ho GEVO1715x GEVO1188 1715 MAT a, leu2, ura3, pdc1::ble, pdc5::ble, candidate #104 pdc6::apt1(kanR), ho GEVO1187x GEVO1537

Example 3 Other Pdc-Minus S. cerevisiae Strains

S. cerevisiae engineered to be deficient in PDC activity have been previously described: (Flikweert, M. T., van der Zanden, L., Janssen, W. M. T. M, Steensma, H. Y., van Dijken J. P., Pronk J. T. (1996) Yeast 12(3):247-57). Such strains may be obtained from these sources.

Example 4 Chemostat Evolution of S. cerevisiae PDC Triple-Mutant

This example demonstrates that a PDC deletion variant of a member Saccharomyces sensu stricto yeast group, the Saccharomyces clade yeast, Crabtree-positive, post-WGD yeast, S. cerevisiae, can be evolved so that it does not have the requirement for a two-carbon molecule and has a growth rate similar to the parental strain on glucose.

A DasGip fermentor vessel was sterilized and filled with 200 ml of YNB (Yeast Nitrogen Base; containing per liter of distilled water: 6.7 g YNB without amino acids from Difco, the following were added per liter of medium: 0.076 g histidine, 0.076 g tryptophan, 0.380 g leucine, and/or 0.076 g uracil; medium was adjusted pH to 5 by adding a few drops of HCL or KOH) and contained 2% w/v ethanol. The vessel was installed and all probes were calibrated according to DasGip instructions. The vessel was also attached to an off-gas analyzer of the DasGip system, as well as to a mass spectrometer. Online measurements of oxygen, carbon dioxide, isobutanol, and ethanol were taken throughout the experiment. The two probes that were inside the vessel measured pH and dissolved oxygen levels at all times. A medium inlet and an outlet were also set up on the vessel. The outlet tube was placed at a height just above the 200 ml level, and the pump rate was set to maximum. This arrangement helped maintain the volume in the vessel at 200 ml. Air was sparged into the fermentor at 12 standard liters per hour (slph) at all times. The temperature of the vessel was held constant at 31.8° C. and the agitation rate was kept at 300 rpm. The off-gas was analyzed for CO₂, O₂, ethanol and isobutanol concentrations. The amount of carbon dioxide (X_(CO2)) and oxygen (X_(O2)) levels in the off-gas were used to assess the metabolic state of the cells. An increase X_(CO2) levels and decrease in X_(O2) levels indicated an increase in growth rate and glucose consumption rate. The ethanol levels were monitored to ensure that there was no contamination, either from other yeast cells or from potential revertants of the mutant strain since the S. cerevisiae PDC triple-mutant (GEVO1584) does not produce ethanol. The minimum pH in the vessel was set to 5, and a base control was set up to pump in potassium hydroxide into the vessel when the pH dropped below 5.

GEVO1584 was inoculated into 10 ml of YNB medium with 2% w/v ethanol as the carbon source. The culture was incubated at 30° C. overnight with shaking. The overnight culture was used to inoculate the DasGip vessel. Initially, the vessel was run in batch mode, to build up a high cell density. When about 3 g CDW/L of cell biomass was reached, the vessel was switched to chemostat mode and the dilution of the culture began. The medium pumped into the vessel was YNB with 7.125 g/L glucose and 0.375 g/L of acetate (5% carbon equivalent). The initial dilution rate was set to 0.1 h⁻¹, but as the cell density started dropping, the dilution rate was decreased to 0.025 h⁻¹ to avoid washout. GEVO1584 was mating type a. A PCR check for the mating type of the chemostat population several days into the experiment indicated that the strain still present was mating type a.

The culture in the chemostat was stabilized and the dilution rate increased to 0.1 h⁻¹. After steady state was reached at the 0.1 h⁻¹ dilution rate, the concentration of acetate was slowly decreased. This was achieved by using a two pump system, effectively producing a gradient pumping scheme. Initially pump A was pumping YNB with 7.125 g/L glucose, and 0.6 g/L of acetate at a rate of 12.5 mL/h and pump C was pumping YNB with only 7.125 g/L glucose at a rate of 7.5 mL/h. The combined acetate going into the vessel was 0.375 g/L. Then, over a period of 3 weeks, the rate of pump A was slowly decreased and the rate of pump C was increased by the same amount so that the combined rate of feeding was always 20 mL/h. When the rate of pump A dropped below 3 mL/h the culture started to slowly wash out. To avoid complete washout the dilution rate was decreased to 0.075 h⁻¹ from 0.11 h⁻¹ (FIG. 3). At this dilution rate, the rate of pump A was finally reduced to 0, and the evolved strain was able to grow on glucose only. Over the period of about five weeks, a sample was occasionally removed, either from the vessel directly or from the effluent line. Samples were analyzed for glucose, acetate, and pyruvate using H PLC, and were plated on YNB with glucose, YNB with ethanol, and YNB (w/o uracil) plus glucose or ethanol as negative control. Strains isolated from the chemostat did not grow on the YNB plates without uracil. OD₆₀₀ was taken regularly to make sure the chemostat did not wash out. Freezer stocks of samples of the culture were made regularly for future characterization of the strains.

To characterize growth of the evolved strains YNB, YPD (yeast extract, peptone, dextrose), and YPE (yeast extract, peptone, ethanol) were used with various concentrations of glucose or ethanol. The growth characterization was performed in either snap-cap test tubes or 48-well plates (7.5 ml). The snap-cap test tubes were not closed completely so that air would vent in/out of the tubes, and the 48-well plates were covered with an air permeable membrane to allow for oxygen transfer. To check for contaminations, YPD or YPE agar plates were used with the antibiotics G418 and Phleomycin. The PDC triple mutant strain (GEVO1584) has both G418 and Phleomycin resistance markers, so the progeny of that strain were able to grow on the antibiotics. Single colonies isolated from each chemostat sample were studied for growth rates. A single colony isolated from the 35-day chemostat population was selected because of high growth rates on glucose as a sole carbon source, was resistant to both G418 and Phleomycin, and grew without the need for ethanol or acetate. The single colony was further evolved through 24 successive serial transfers in test tubes on YPD at 30° C., 250 rpm shaking. The resulting strain, GEVO1863, grew similarly to the wild-type yeast parent on glucose (FIG. 4), did not produce ethanol (FIG. 5), and did not require ethanol or acetate for growth.

Example 5 Isobutanol Production in Pdc-Plus K. lactis

This example demonstrates isobutanol production in a member of the Saccharomyces clade, Crabtree-negative, pre-WGD yeast, K lactis.

The isobutanol production pathway was cloned in a K. lactis vector-based expression system: a SacI-MIuI fragment containing the TEF1 promoter. Lactococcus lactis alsS and part of the CYC1 terminator sequence was cloned into the same sites of the K. lactis expression plasmid, pGV1430 (FIG. 9), to generate pGV1472 (FIG. 11, SEQ ID NO: 2). A SacI-MIuI fragment containing the TEF1 promoter, E. coli ilvD, TDH3 promoter, E. coli ilvC, and part of the CYC1 terminator was cloned into the same sites of the K. lactis expression plasmid, pGV1429 (FIG. 8), to generate pGV1473 (FIG. 12, SEQ ID NO: 3). A BssHII-NotI fragment containing the TEF1 promoter, L. lactis kivD, TDH3 promoter and S. cerevisiae ADH7. ScAdh7 was cloned into the K. lactis expression plasmid, pGV1431 (FIG. 10), to obtain pGV1475 (FIG. 13, SEQ ID NO: 4).

The K. lactis strain GEVO1287 was transformed with the above plasmids, pGV1472, pGV1473, and pGV1475 (Table EX5-1) to express the isobutanol pathway. As a control, K. lactis GEVO1287 was also transformed with empty vectors pGV1430, pGV1429, and pGV1431 (Table EX5-1).

TABLE EX5-1 K. lactis clones expression isobutanol pathway [ clone Host Plasmid 1 Plasmid 2 Plasmid 3 ALS KARI DHAD KIVD ADH iB165 GEVO1287 pGV1430 pGV1429 pGV1431 — — — — — iB173 GEVO1287 pGV1472 pGV1473 pGV1475 Ptef1- Ec. Ec. Ll. Sc. Ll. ilvC ilvD Kivd Adh7 alsS

Transformed cells were grown overnight and transferred to 100 mL fermentation bottles using 20 mL SC-WLU medium. Two mL samples were taken at 24 and 48 hours for GC analysis. At each time point, 2 mL of a 20% glucose was added after removing samples for GC analysis. At 48 hours the fermentation was ended. GC samples were processed as described. Results are shown in Table EX5-2 Up to 0.25 g/L isobutanol was produced in K. lactis transformed with an isobutanol pathway whereas the control strain without the pathway only produced 0.022 g/L in 48 hours.

TABLE EX5-2 K. lactis fermentation results Isobutanol titer Isobutanol yield Ethanol clone (mg/L) (% theoretical) (g/L) iB165 0.022 0.13 11.4 iB173 0.25 1.5 12.6

To determine if isobutanol titers can be increased by using a rich complex media, fermentations were performed as described above with iB165 (vector only control) and iB173 using YPD instead of SC-WLU medium. In addition, fermentations were also carried out in 250 mL screw-cap flasks (microaerobic conditions) and in 125 mL metal-cap flasks (aerobic conditions). Samples were taken at 24, 48, and 72 and the isobutanol levels obtained are shown in Table EX5-3.

TABLE EX5-3 K. lactis fermentation results using YPD Isobutanol Isobutanol titer yield (% clone Condition (mg/L) theoretical) Ethanol (g/L) iB165 Anaerobic 66 0.4 27.4 iB165 Microaerobic 117 0.7 24.5 iB165 Aerobic 104 0.6 11.7 iB173 Anaerobic 297 1.8 25.8 iB173 Microaerobic 436 2.6 23.4 iB173 Aerobic 452 2.7 13.4

Example 6 Isobutanol Production in Pdc Plus S. cerevisiae

This example demonstrates isobutanol production in a member of Saccharomyces sensu stricto group, Saccharomyces clade, Crabtree-positive, post-WGD yeast, S. cerevisiae.

Various plasmids carrying the isobutanol production pathway were constructed for expression of this metabolic pathway in a Pdc-plus variant of S. cerevisiae, GEVO1187. Plasmids pGV1254 (FIG. 14; SEQ ID NO: 10), pGV1295 (FIG. 15; SEQ ID NO: 11) pGV1390 (FIG. 16; SEQ ID NO: 12), and pGV1438 (FIG. 17; SEQ ID NO: 13) were high copy S. cerevisiae plasmids that together expressed the five genes of the isobutanol pathway (TABLE EX6-1). pGV1390 was generated by cloning a SalI-BamHI fragment containing the L. lactis alsS (SEQ ID NO: 5) into the high copy S. cerevisiae expression plasmid, pGV1387, where the L. lactis alsS would be expressed under the CUP1 promoter. pGV1295 was generated by cloning a SalI-BamHI fragment containing the E. coli ilvC (SEQ ID NO: 6) into the high copy S. cerevisiae expression plasmid, pGV1266, where the E. coli ilvC would be expressed using the TDH3 promoter. pGV1438 was generated by cloning a SalI-BamHI fragment containing the E. coli ilvD (SEQ ID NO: 7) into the high copy S. cerevisiae expression plasmid, pGV1267, where the E. coli ilvD would be expressed using the TDH3 promoter. pGV1254 was made by cloning an EcoRI (filled in by Klenow polymerase treatment)-XhoI fragment containing the TDH3 promoter and S. cerevisiae ADH2 from pGV1241 into the BamHI (filled in by Klenow) and XhoI sites of pGV1186. pGV1186 was made by cloning a SalI-BamHI fragment containing the L. lactis kivD (SEQ ID NO: 8) into a high copy S. cerevisiae expression plasmid, pGV1102, where the L. lactis kivD would be expressed using the TEF1 promoter. pGV1241 was made by cloning a SalI-BamHI fragment containing the S. cerevisiae ADH2 (SEQ ID NO: 9) into a high copy S. cerevisiae expression plasmid, pGV1106, where the S. cerevisiae ADH2 would be expressed using the TDH3 promoter.

GEVO1187 was transformed with plasmids as shown in Table EX6-1. As a defective isobutanol pathway control, cells were transformed with pGV1056 (FIG. 21, empty vector control) instead of pGV1390. The transformants were plated onto appropriate selection plates. Single colonies from the transformation were isolated and tested for isobutanol production by fermentation.

TABLE EX6-1 Plasmid pGV# Promoter Gene Plasmid type marker pGV1254 Sc TEF1 L. lactis kivD High copy Sc URA3 pGV1295 Sc TDH3 E. coli ilvC High copy Sc TRP1 pGV1390 Sc CUP1 L. lactis alsS High copy Sc HIS3 pGV1438 Sc TDH3 E. coli ilvD High copy Sc LEU1

The cells were grown overnight and anaerobic batch fermentations were carried out as described in General Methods. SC-HWUL was used as the media. 2 mL samples were taken at 24, 48 and 72 hours for GC At each time point, the cultures were fed 2 mL of a 40% glucose solution. The fermentation was ended after 72 hours. Samples were processed and analyzed as described. The results are shown in Table EX6-2. As shown, isobutanol was produced in GEVO1187 transformed with the isobutanol-pathway containing plasmids.

TABLE EX6-2 Isobutanol production in S. cerevisiae, GEVO1187, after 72 hours Isobutanol Ethanol Titer Yield Titer Yield Strain Plasmids [g L⁻¹] [%] [gL⁻¹] [%] GEVO1187 pGV1254, pGV1438, 0.13 0.31 31 60 pGV1390, pGV1438 GEVO1187 pGV1056, pGV1295, 0.04 0.10 42 82 pGV1438, pGV1254

This example demonstrates isobutanol production in a Pdc-minus member of the Saccharomyces clade, Crabtree-negative, pre-WGD yeast, K. lactis.

Description of plasmids pGV1590, pGV1726, pGV1727: pGV1590 (FIG. 18, SEQ ID NO: 14) is a K. lactis expression plasmid used to express L. lactis kivD (under TEF1 promoter) and S. cerevisiae ADH7 (under TDH3 promoter). This plasmid also carries the K. marxianus URA3 gene and the 1.6 micron replication origin that allow for DNA replication in K. lactis. pGV1726 (FIG. 19, SEQ ID NO: 15) is a yeast integration plasmid carrying the TRP1 marker and expressing B. subtilis alsS using the CUP1 promoter. pGV1727 (FIG. 20, SEQ ID NO: 16) is a yeast integration plasmid carrying the LEU2 marker and expressing E. coli ilvD under the TEF1 promoter and E. coli ilvC under the TDH3 promoter. Neither pGV1726 or pGV1727 carry a yeast replication origin.

Construction of GEVO1829, a K. lactis strain with pathway integrated: The isobutanol pathway was introduced into the Pdc-minus K. lactis strain GEVO1742 by random integrations of the pathway genes. GEVO1742 was transformed with the Acc65I-NgoMIV fragment of pGV1590 containing the L. lactis kivd and S. cerevisiae ADH7 but without the yeast replication origin, to generate GEVO1794. The presence of both L. lactis kivd and S. cerevisiae ADH7 was confirmed by colony PCR using primer sets 1334+1335 and 1338+1339, respectively. GEVO1794 was transformed with pGV1727, a yeast integration plasmid carrying E. coli ilvD (under the TEF1 promoter) and E. coli ilvC (under TDH3 promoter), that had been linearized by digesting with BcgI. The resulting strain, GEVO1818, was confirmed by colony PCR for the presence of E. coli ilvD and E. coli ilvC using primer sets 1330+1331 and 1325+1328, respectively. GEVO1818 was then transformed with pGV1726, a yeast integration plasmid carrying B. subtilis alsS (under the CUP1 promoter), that had been linearized by digesting with AhdI to generate GEVO1829. The presence of B. subtilis alsS was confirmed by colony PCR using primers 1321+1324.

Aerobic fermentations were carried out to test isobutanol production by the Pdc-minus strain carrying the isobutanol pathway, GEVO1829. The Pdc-minus strain without the isobutanol pathway, GEVO1742, was used as a control. These strains were cultured in YPD overnight at 30° C., 250 rpm, then diluted into 20 mL fresh YPD in a 125 mL flask and grown at 30° C., 250 rpm. 2 mL samples were taken at 24 and 48 hours, cells pelleted for 5 minutes at 14,000×g and the supernatant was analyzed for isobutanol by GC. In addition glucose concentrations were analyzed by LC. The results are shown in Table EX7-1. At 48 hours, the OD of the GEVO1742 strain had reached over 8.5 while the OD of the GEVO1829 was less than 5. GEVO1829 consumed around 15.7 g/L glucose while GEVO1742 consumed roughly 7.7 g/L glucose. GEVO1829 produced 0.17 g/L isobutanol while GEVO1742 did not produce any isobutanol above media background.

TABLE EX7-1 K. lactis fermentation results Isobutanol Isobutanol yield Ethanol Clone titer (mg/L) (% theoretical) (mg/L) GEVO1742 0 0 17 GEVO1829 170 2.6 53

Example 8A Isobutanol Production in Pdc-Minus S. cerevisiae GEVO1581

This example demonstrates isobutanol production in a Pdc-minus member of the Saccharomyces sensu stricto group, Saccharomyces clade yeast, Crabtree-positive yeast, post-WGD yeast, S. cerevisiae.

Strain GEVO1581 with the three genes encoding PDC activity deleted (pdc1Δ, pdc5Δ, and pdc6Δ) was used to produce isobutanol. Isobutanol pathway enzymes were encoded by genes cloned into three plasmids. pGV1103 (FIG. 24, SEQ ID NO: 20), pGV1104 (FIG. 25, SEQ ID NO: 21) and pGV1106 (FIG. 26, SEQ ID NO: 22) were empty high copy expression vectors that carry as marker genes, URA3, HIS3 and TRP1, respectively. The B. subtilis alsS gene, express using the CUP1 promoter, was encoded on either a low copy CEN plasmid, pGV1673 (FIG. 30, SEQ ID NO: 26) or a high copy plasmid, pGV1649 (FIG. 27, SEQ ID NO: 23). Both of these plasmids used TRP1 as a marker gene. E. coli ilvD (expressed using the TEF1 promoter) and E. coli ilvC (expressed using the TDH3 promoter) were expressed off of the high copy plasmid pGV1677 (FIG. 31, SEQ ID NO: 27). This plasmid utilized HIS3 as a marker gene. L. lactis kivd (expressed using the TEF1 promoter) and S. cerevisiae ADH7 (expressed using the TDH3 promoter) were expressed off of the high copy plasmid pGV1664 (FIG. 28, SEQ ID NO: 24). This plasmid utilized URA3 as a marker gene. Combination of these plasmids (Table EX8-1) to reconstitute the isobutanol pathway were introduced into GEVO1581 by lithium acetate transformation (described in General Methods).

TABLE EX8-1 Plasmids transformed into GEVO1581 Fermentation # Strain Plasmids Notes iB250 GEVO1581 pGV1103, Vector Control pGV1104, pGV1106 iB251 GEVO1581 pGV1677, iBuOH Pathway, alsS on pGV1649, 2 micron plasmid pGV1664 iB252 GEVO1581 pGV1677, iBuOH Pathway, alsS on pGV1673, CEN plasmid pGV1664

Fermentation experiments were carried out with GEVO1581 transformed with plasmids according to Table EX8-1 to determine the amount of isobutanol produced (titer) and the percentage of isobutanol to consumed glucose (yield).

Fermentations with Transformants of GEVO1581: Using cells grown in 3 mL defined (SC-Ethanol) medium, 20 mL cultures were inoculated with transformants of GEVO1581 (3 independent colonies per transformation set) to an OD₆₀₀ of approximately 0.1. The cultures were incubated at 30° C. at 250 RPM in 125 mL metal cap flasks until they reached an OD₆₀₀ of approximately 1. Glucose was added to a final concentration of 5% and a 2 mL aliquot was removed from each sample (T=0 sample). The OD₆₀₀ of each sample was measured, the cells in each sample were pelleted by centrifugation (14,000×g, 5 min), and the supernatant from each sample was stored at −20° C. The remaining cultures were incubated at 30° C. at 125 RPM for another 48 hours. Samples (2 mL) were removed after 24 and 48 hours and prepared as just described. The samples were thawed, and prepared as described in General Methods. Three individual transformants were used for each set of plasmids during the fermentations. The amount of glucose consumed and the amount of pyruvate, glycerol, ethanol, and isobutanol produced after 48 hours are listed in Table EX8A-2.

TABLE EX8A-2 48 hour time point data are shown as an average of three replicates Glucose consumed (g/L) Isobutanol (mg/L) Yield (% theoretical) iB250 3.6 ± .7  4.7 ± 0.00  0.31 ± 0.04 iB251  2.8 ± 1.6 122 ± 41  11.0 ± 5.0 iB252 1.2 ± .5 62 ± 11 12.8 ± 2.8 Again using cells grown in 3 mL defined (SC-Ethanol) medium, 20 mL cultures were inoculated with transformants of GEVO1581 to an OD₆₀₀ of approximately 0.1. The cultures were incubated at 30° C. at 250 RPM in 125 mL metal cap flasks until they reached an OD₆₀₀ of approximately 1. Biomass was pelleted and resuspended in 20 ml media with 2% glucose as the sole carbon source and a 2 mL aliquot was removed from each sample (T=0 sample). The OD₆₀₀ of each sample was measured and each sample was stored at −20° C. The remaining cultures were incubated at 30° C. at 125 RPM for another 48 hours. Samples (2 mL) were removed after 24 and 48 hours and stored at −20° C. The samples were thawed, and prepared as described in General Methods. The amounts of ethanol and isobutanol produced after 48 hours are listed in Table EX8A-3.

TABLE EX8A-3 48 hour time point data for fermentation in glucose, shown as an average of three replicates Isobutanol Isobutanol yield Ethanol Ethanol yield (mg/L) (% theoretical) (mg/L)I (% theoretical) iB250 0 0 0 0 iB251 210 3.5 110 1.8

Example 8B Isobutanol Production in Pdc-Minus S. cerevisiae GEVO1584

This example demonstrates isobutanol production in a Pdc-minus member of the Saccharomyces sensu stricto group, Saccharomyces clade, Crabtree-positive yeast, WGD yeast, S. cerevisiae.

GEVO1581 is a diploid strain, thus, a second backcross of a Pdc-minus yeast into the CEN.PK background was performed, yielding a Pdc-minus haploid strain GEVO1584 with the required auxotrophic markers for plasmid propagation.

Transformations of GEVO1584: The following combinations of plasmids were transformed into GEVO1584 (Table EX8B-1) using lithium acetate transformation (described in General Methods) followed by selection on appropriate minimal media. pGV1672 (FIG. 29, SEQ ID NO: 25), pGV1056 (FIG. 21, SEQ ID NO: 17), and pGV1062 (FIG. 22, SEQ ID NO: 18) were empty low copy CEN expression vectors that carry as marker genes, TRP1, HIS3, and URA3. pGV1103 (FIG. 24, SEQ ID NO: 20), pGV1104 (FIG. 25, SEQ ID NO: 21) and pGV1102 (FIG. 23, SEQ ID NO: 19) were empty high copy expression vectors that carry as marker genes, URA3, HIS3 and TRP1, respectively. The isobutanol pathway was expressed off of low copy CEN plasmids pGV1673 (FIG. 30, SEQ ID NO: 26), pGV1679 (FIG. 32, SEQ ID NO: 28) and pGV1683 (FIG. 33, SEQ ID NO: 29). pGV1673 carried the B. subtilis alsS under the CUP1 promoter and utilized the TRP1 marker gene. pGV1679 carried the E. coli ilvD and E. coli ilvC genes expressed using the TEF1 and TDH3 promoters, respectively, and utilized the HIS3 marker gene. pGV1683 carried the L. lactis kivd and the S. cerevisiae ADH7 genes expressed using the TEF1 and TDH3 promoters, respectively, and utilized the URA3 marker gene. The isobutanol pathway was also expressed off of high copy plasmids pGV1649 (FIG. 27, SEQ ID NO: 23), pGV1677 (FIG. 31, SEQ ID NO: 27) and pGV1664 (FIG. 28, SEQ ID NO: 24). pGV1649 carried the B. subtilis alsS under the CUP1 promoter and utilized the TRP1 marker gene. pGV1677 carried the E. coli ilvD and E. coli ilvC genes expressed using the TEF1 and TDH3 promoters, respectively, and utilized the HIS3 marker gene. pGV1664 carried the L. lactis kivd and the S. cerevisiae ADH7 genes expressed using the TEF1 and TDH3 promoters, respectively, and utilized the URA3 marker gene.

TABLE EX8B-1 Fermentation # Strain Plasmids Notes iB300 GEVO1584 pGV1672, Vector Control pGV1056, (CEN plasmids) pGV1062 iB301 GEVO1584 pGV1673, Isobutanol pathway pGV1679, (CEN plasmids) pGV1683 iB302 GEVO1584 pGV1103, Vector Control pGV1104, (2μ plasmids) pGV1102 iB303 GEVO1584 pGV1677, Isobutanol pathway pGV1649, (2μ plasmids) pGV1664

Fermentations with Transformants of GEVO1584: Using cells grown in 3 mL defined (SC) media containing ethanol (SC+Ethanol-HWU), 200 mL cultures were inoculated with transformants of GEVO1584 and incubated in SC+Ethanol-HWU at 30° C. at 250 RPM in 500 mL shake flasks for 72 hours. The OD₆₀₀ values measured after 72 hours ranged from 1.4 to 3.5. The cultures were diluted 1:10 into fresh 250 mL SC+Ethanol-HWU media and incubated at 30° C. at 250 RPM in 500 mL shake for 24 hours. The cells were collected by centrifugation at 3000 RPM for 3 minutes and resuspended in 20 mL SC+Glucose-HWU media in 125 mL metal cap flasks. 250 μL of 100% ethanol was added to each culture to bring the concentration of ethanol to 1%. A 2 mL aliquot was removed, the OD₆₀₀ was measured using 100 μL, and the remaining aliquot was centrifugued to pellet cells (14,000×g, 5 min) and the supernatants were stored at −20° C. The cultures were incubated at 125 rpm at 30° C. A 2 mL aliquot was removed from each culture after 24 and 48 hours of incubation, and the OD₆₀₀ was measured as before (see Table 3, t=24 and t=48) and the sample centrifuged and stored as described above. The samples were thawed, and the samples were prepared and analyzed via GC and HPLC as described in General Methods. Results are shown in Table EX8B-2.

TABLE EX8B-2 48 hour time point data are shown as an average of three replicates Glucose Ethanol Isobutanol Consumed Consumed Yield Fermentation # Titer (g/L) (g/L) (g/L) (% theor.)] iB300 Vector Control 0.012 ± 0.003 9.75 ± 4.17 2.47 ± 0.30 0.30% (CEN plasmids) iB301 Isobutanol 0.392 ± 0.087 9.31 ± 5.03 0.95 ± 0.64 10.27% pathway (CEN plasmids) iB302 Vector Control 0.013 ± 0.006 8.61 ± 4.51 0.64 ± 0.17 0.37% (2μ plasmids) iB303 Isobutanol 0.248 ± 0.032 9.51 ± 1.25 0.77 ± 0.59 6.36% pathway (2μ plasmids)

All Pdc-minus yeast (GEVO1584) consumed approximately 10 g/L of glucose and less than 2 g/L of ethanol after 48 hours incubation (FIG. 1, FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B). All strains accumulated ˜1.5 g/L pyruvate, except for those carrying the isobutanol pathway on 2μ plasmids (<0.5 g/L). The accumulation of pyruvate and failure of the yeast to produce ethanol from glucose is confirmation that all lacked PDC activity. After 48 hours, the Pdc-minus yeast with the isobutanol pathway encoded on 2μ plasmids generated 0.248±0.032 g/L isobutanol at a theoretical yield of 6.36% of the consumed glucose (Table EX8B-2). The CEN plasmid isobutanol pathway strain generated 0.392±0.087 g/L isobutanol at a yield of 10.27% (Table EX8B-2). Isobutanol titers were well above the equivalent vector control strains. 

1-130. (canceled)
 131. A method for producing isobutanol comprising: a. providing a fermentation media comprising a carbon substrate; and b. contacting said media with a recombinant yeast microorganism expressing an engineered isobutanol biosynthetic pathway wherein said pathway comprises the following substrate to product conversions: i. pyruvate to acetolactate (pathway step a); ii. acetolactate to 2,3-dihydroxyisovalerate (pathway step b); iii. 2,3-dihydroxyisovalerate to α-ketoisovalerate (pathway step c); iv. α-ketoisovalerate to isobutyraldehyde (pathway step d); and v. isobutyraldehyde to isobutanol (pathway step e); wherein a) the substrate to product conversion of step (i) is performed by an acetolactate synthase enzyme; b) the substrate to product conversion of step (ii) is performed by a ketal-acid reductoisomerase enzyme; c) the substrate to product conversion of step (iii) is performed by a dihydroxy acid dehydratase enzyme; d) the substrate to product conversion of step (iv) is performed by a decarboxylase enzyme; and e) the substrate to product conversion of step (v) is performed by an alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme; and wherein the recombinant yeast microorganism comprises one or more inactivated endogenous pyruvate decarboxylase genes; whereby isobutanol is produced. 